Rebuilding the Bills in the offseason- BillsZone style

by Bill Choinski

Recently as an exercise in fun and games, we created the opportunity for our BillsZone members to go through the offseason process of playing General Manager. We set up a series of polls giving people the chance to select the next Buffalo Bills coach, acquire free agents in the offseason, and then make selections in the upcoming 2004 draft. Let's move ahead in time and see what the fans would do if empowered with the mighty powers of Tom Donehoe- Bills GM and President.

Selecting a new coach

Interestingly, the choice for head coach was the most varied. There will be a number of other possible candidates out there whio currently are employed (Haslett in New Orleans, Schottenheimer in San Diego, Billick In Baltimore, Jauron in Chicago) so for the sake of argument, only currently unemployed candidates were considered. Three categorties of coaches were put forth-

Retreads- Guys who had one or more bites of the apple in the league as coaches but were let go. No currently employed coaches like Haslett or Dan Reeves were considered. For our survey- Tom Coughlin, Dennis Green, and current Bills assistant coach Dick LeBeau were the choices.

College Guys- Successful head coaches in the NCAA. We went with two top choices- LSU's Nick Saban and Iowa's Kirk Ferentz. Both are former NFL assistants who have taken second-banana schools in huge conferences as far as they could. Both are annual leaders in the NFL rumor mills.

Hot Assistants- These guys could be the next big coaching stars in the NFL- or he next flops. Lovie Smith, DC of the Rams, Mike Zimmer, DC under Parcells in Dallas, and Romeo Crennel, the Bills killer in New England.

The vote for a new coach was interesting- 40% wanting a retread, and 40% wanting a college coach. After the Gregg Williams disaster, only 10% wanted to try another coordinator. The vote was virtually even amongst all the former and current head coaches- but Iowa's Kirk Ferentz was the narrow choice. The Bills will be the most talent laden team looking for a coach this offseason. There is no rebuilding. No cap problems. One of the top defenses in the league. A roster loaded with pro bowl talent. It's a formula for instant success. Those ingredients might be the bait to get the Bills their top choice.

Free Agency.

Once a coach was selected, the next step was the free agent market. Since the Bills are projected to be well under the salary cap, no tough decisions had to be made in letting players go in a cap purge. For argument's sake, there was $10 million left on the table to spend.

Unlike the fractured voting for a new coach, an overwhelming amount of participants were of the same mind. The Number one priority was to resign CB Antoine Winfield, the Bills' only major Free Agent. Over half the participants wanted to spend the $4 million or so that will be the going rate for Winfield, even though it is a very rich CB market. Another 1/3rd wanted to replace Winfield with a comparable replacement- Like Champ Bailey of the Redskins, or Terrell Buckley of Miami. Either way- most participants elected to spend $4 million of the budgeted $10 million on our secondary.

The next overwhelming area the fans deemed vital in addressing was the offensive line. Damien Woody of the Patriots seems to be the people's choice to take over at the center spot. Just over half elected to bring him in here for an additional $2.5 million. Another 1/3rd chose to go in a different direction on the offensive line- going for a more pricey Adam Timmerman – G Rams, or a Matt Stinchcomb of the Raiders.

The last area of need that was chosen by the fans to be addressed was the elusive defensive end the Bills have been pursuing ever since Bruce Smith left town. The group chose either Grant Wistrom, DE, Rams as the top choice, with a cheaper alternative in KC's Eric Hicks.

Oddly enough, replacing Drew Bledsoe was well down the list. Less than 10% chose the option. Only 20% chose to make a splash for a WR, with Seattle's Darryl Jackson the leading candidate. Both DE Jevon Kearse & WR Terrell Owens, expected to be big ticket items, drew little interest.

The Draft- Round 1-

With holes getting filled and the team taking shape, our BillsZone members then went to work completing the draft. For argument's sake, the Bills will be drafting in the neighborhood of 12th overall. One third of those polled went for FS Sean Taylor of Miami. While the position is not a critical need on the team, Taylor is clearly a cut above everyone else in the draft a that position and shows all the signs to be a force in the NFL. With needs at DE and on the offensive line addressed in free agency, it gives the Bills the luxury of getting the best player at his position- bar none.

If Sean Taylor has been scooped up, the next need on the shopping list is a future franchise QB. Bledsoe has ben cemented in as the starter next season, but the $7 million option looms in November. If the Bills continue to struggle on offense, they may want the successor in the wings. Both Eli Manning of Ole Miss and Ben Roethlesberger of Miami will probably be selected before the Bills pick. But If Sean Taylor is gone, it may allow one of these two to slip. Plus, this beeing a deep QB draft, many teems in need of a QB and other parts might consider one in the lesser rounds. (The Bills being one of them). If the Bills fall farther or trade down, JP Losman or Andrew Walter are options late in the first round. Failing plan A or Plan B, the fall back position is to address the DE position with Will Smith from Ohio state or Dave Pollack of Georgia.

Round 2-

The picks begin to get spread around in this round. About 1/3rd of those participating go for depth on the offensive line, at guard to be specific. With no worthy talent available around the 12th slot in the first round, there is plenty available in the second. Vernon Carey could slip from late in Round 1- Chriss Snee of Boston College, Monreko Crittinden of Auburn, or Dave Baas of Michigan are the guards available. Not far behind, 1/4th of those polled want to address the defensive line- specifically acquiring quality depth behind Sam Adams and Pat Williams. Tubbs from Texas, McNeil from Auburn, or Dockett from Florida St.

Behind those two options, another 1/3rd chose to add to offensive depth, getting a QB, WR, or TE. Walter/ Losman at QB, A Lee Evans from Wisconsin or Fred Gibson of Georgia are options. Ben Troupe of Florida or Ben Watson of Georgia lead the TE candidates.

Round 3-

We close it out with round 3. Day 2 of the NFL draft is a crap shoot- with best available athletes usually getting the nod. The depth of this draft will have some viable candidates for the Bills at the QB position and on the offensive line, two areas in need of depth.

Not a single defensive position was selected in any of he polls for round 3 . The overwhelming choice was to select a QB here, with a lot of buzz around NC State's Phillip Rivers. Josh Harris of Ball State, Casey Clausen of Tennessee, or John Navarre of Michigan are other options. TE and offensive line depth again were other options.

BillsZone Outlook-

Well, if our readership has their say, it looks like Kirk Ferentz Or Tom Coughlin will be their choice. The biggest stumbling block for Ferentz will be his commitment to Iowa. He turned down the Jaguars last season. Coughlin along with Nick Saban are also heavily considered- but their high price tags and need for player control may be a stumbling block.

In free agency, the priority will be to resign Winfield, get a veteran center or guard (Woody plays both positions) and a veteran DE Wistrom is the top choice, Eric Hicks the economic choice.

In the Draft, It's Sean Taylor if things fall right for the Bills. Failing that, It's going to be Roethlesberger (Manning will be gone) or DE. Will Smith. In Round 2 it will be depth on the OL, specifically at Guard. In Round 3 it will be Phillip Rivers.

With all the negative talk surrounding Drew Bledsoe, it appears he will be the choice to lead the Bills in the foreseeable future. Bring in the run oriented Ferentz, build up the offensive line, and with Ferentz being an offensive line specialist- he could be able to rejuvenate a talented but underachieving line. Bledsoe will have his top line, and will have a coach dedicated to running the ball. Last year's top pick Willis McGahee and Travis Henry will provide a lethal duo out of the backfield. If Bledsoe can't play-action off of that talent, then it's time for him to hang it up.

Defensively, it will remain to be seen if any or all of the coaches on that side of the ball will be retained. Dick LeBeau has helped turn around Jerry Gray's defense from the dregs of the league to a near-elite unit. Adding depth and a pass rushing threat at DE, and a playmaking safety in Sean Taylor could propel this unit not only into the playoffs, but to the AFC Championship game.

Now if our membership would just go to their piggy banks, return all the empty beer cans, and sell cookies and bake goods, maybe we can scrape the $300-$400 million needed to purchase the team off of Ralph Wilson. Then we can get to the task of running this thing by committee-.the first professional sports team run by 2,500 people. It was plenty of fun, and it's not over! You can participate at the following links-
Rebuilding the Bills - New Coach
Rebuilding the Bills - Free Agency
Rebuilding the Bills - Draft Round 1
Rebuilding the Bills - Draft Round 2
Rebuilding the Bills - Draft Round 3