Window of Opportunity

by Fort Worth on Feb 20, 2008 11:09 AM EST

What seems like our community's consensus support for building the Bills at a slow and steady pace beggs the question: What size is the typical window of opportunity in the NFL these days? As young as the Bills are, how big (or small) is their window of opportunity?

By the time the Bills realize what they need to acquire (real, elite talent; they already have plenty of high character and high effort players that are short on talent; find a balance) to be serious contenders, Jason Peters, Lee Evans, Angelo Crowell, Terrence McGee, Donte Whitner, John McCargo, Marshawn Lynch, and Paul Posluszny will be in line for new contracts and solid starters such as Langston Walker and Aaron Schobel will need to be replaced. You only have so much time, money, draft picks, and franchise tags to use.

Yes, I know. It's called the challenge of building a consistent winning program in the NFL. The more success that you have, the more likely it is that you will lose the individual parts that make you successful (players and coaches). You can only afford to maintain your core group of personnel. My short answer is to draft and develop and take advantage of pro personnel opportunities (Roy Williams?).

My questions are: How much time do the Bills have? Is slow and steady the best way to build in this era? I do not think the Redskins (although they've had more success than the Bills recently) and the Raiders can be used as examples of why not build fast. It seems like they go out and get big name players that don't fit. The bottom line is that you have to acquire the right players, which does not exclude acquiring elite players. And it doesn't have to be every year like the Redskins and Raiders, just once in a while. Takeo Spikes was the last impact pro personnel acquisition that I can recall. The Bills are due for another one soon.

I'm sure we all know about Dick Jauron's histroy. Same ingredients, same results. Will Jauron learn to adjust his philosophies? The best way to complement his Cover 2/Prevent defense (thanks, Nick) is with an explosive offense. Does Jauron have it in him?

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.

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Comments

Good read

Nicely put, Fort. Couple of things:

Your point about key players being up for contract in coming years is exactly why, in the Bills' case, slow and steady is the best option. This team is so young that for 90% of the roster, we literally have no clue what's going to happen with certain players - and that includes the likes of Lynch, Posluszny, Edwards and Whitner. The team is so new, and there's been so much turnover, that on our current foundation, we need to find out exactly what we have in those key players before we tie up future salaries in big-name free agents that, in reality, could just as easily bust out.

Secondly, your point about Spikes is a good one, but I can name a few free agents who have had an impact since he's arrived: Derrick Dockery, Langston Walker, Melvin Fowler (yes, Melvin Fowler), and Robert Royal have all had an impact, to varying degrees, since Jauron's era began. If by "impact" you meant "crowd pleasing", then no, we haven't had one of those since Spikes.

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by Brian Galliford on Feb 20, 2008 1:47 PM EST reply actions

Robert Royal's impact

Do you mean his impact on shortening my life span with his fumbling, penalties and his infamous premature end zone celebration before getting his feet impounds on the Lee Evans TD pass with the season on the line against Tennessee in 2006? He's certainly had an impact on me, personally. Robert Royal and Josh Reed are the first two Bills that I would gladly buck up and give a ride out of town myself.

Nick (Bensalem, PA)

by Nick BensalemPA on Feb 20, 2008 3:03 PM EST up reply actions

Ha, no

I meant that he's brought some presence to the tight end position. That position was literally a black hole before we addressed it in '06; at least, now, we have a presence there. Clearly, we need an upgrade, but Royal can be an effective #2. He proved as much in Washington.

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by Brian Galliford on Feb 20, 2008 3:16 PM EST up reply actions

Took the words right out of my mouth.

I think there is a reason why Spikes has never been in a playoff game. He was overrated. Don't get me wrong - he was certainly good, just not great.

I'm certainly happier thus far with the Dockery and Walker signings. And that line is just going to get better. They have the potential to be dominant.

by krytime on Feb 20, 2008 4:54 PM EST up reply actions

reason

The reason he never made the playoffs was b/c he played on awful Bengals teams (a bad organization), for bad Bills teams, and for a declining eagles team. In his prime, Takeo was a beast. Saying the Bills didn't make the playoffs b/c Takeo wasn't that good, or that any one player can make/break a team's playoffs chances (outside of QB), is ridiculous.

by jmorris0823 on Feb 20, 2008 6:00 PM EST up reply actions

He was a highlight guy at best.

He never made other players around him that much better. Granted, he made a couple of probowls and allpro teams, but in the larger scheme of things, he wasn't really as dominant as his reputation dictated it should be.

In four years with Buffalo, he had 7 sacks, 7 ints, and 3 fumble recoveries. For the amount of money he was paid, and especially as a "big play" player, he was overrated.

He's no HOFer, that's for sure.

by krytime on Feb 20, 2008 6:21 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

I agree with everything you said in that post. Takeo was dominant at times, especially in '04. To be fair though, the last two seasons with the Bills are moot considering his knee injury. All of his meaningful contributions took place before the injury, and he hasn't been the same since. I disagreed with your earlier post where you insinuated that Spikes was somehow a major reason we (or the Bengals before) never went to the playoffs.

by jmorris0823 on Feb 20, 2008 10:18 PM EST up reply actions

Clarification

Brian,

Thanks for the comments. By "impact" I meant a Pro Bowl-caliber player. Dockery is close, but I haven't seen it yet.

What do you mean by "exactly"? The Bills should have a pretty good idea of what they have in-house, particularly the players that I mentioned, what they are, and what they can become. Whether or not the Bills know "exactly" what they have should not prohibit them from taking advantage of other opportunities. If the Bills end up with a bunch of slouches, they can at least say that they tried. If the Bills end up with a bunch of great players, that is a good problem to have. You can't make shots if you don't take them.

by Fort Worth on Feb 20, 2008 10:40 PM EST up reply actions

window of opportunity?

The Bills currently don't have one. Its that simple. We are not going to win the Super Bowl this year. The Bills are trying to create a window for themselves. Their plan is to draft and develop the pieces that can open that window. If the Bills really thought they had a chance to make it deep into the playoffs, they would be more willing to make some big moves.

Trent Edwards was a rookie last year. The Bills need to find out how far he can get them. We found out last year that he belongs in this league. Next season will hopefully tell us he is a legit starter. Maybe a few years down the road he will be an above average or better QB. Then, and only then, will a legitimate window possibly open.

by kaisertown on Feb 20, 2008 3:04 PM EST reply actions

precisely

gotta have a window for it to close.

by sri on Feb 20, 2008 10:17 PM EST up reply actions

If the Bills ever get an open window...

will they be in position to take advantage of it? Are they taking the best steps? How good do they want to be?

by Fort Worth on Feb 20, 2008 10:56 PM EST up reply actions

it's anybody's guess

if we're taking the best steps. i do understand the path that we're taking though.

strictly offensively, though, we have a young corps, and a relatively new offense. i'd like to have some patience in letting that offense fully gel before adding a player that demands the ball.

that's why i like a player like wilford as a prospective acquisition. he fits our needs with our needs having to fit him.

as soon as we crack the "efficient" barrier, then maybe it's time to add some pieces.

but our offensive line is progressing. roscoe will get better as he's utilized more, and i do think trent will find lee more often. we do have the the talent here to score touchdowns.

our pathetic offense last year can't be blamed on the lack of talent. it just can't. it was too pathetic. plenty of teams have done more with less. regardless of who's qb, wr, rb, there's just no explanation for being a total disaster.

so let's just try not to be a disaster. and then maybe we'll find a special guy somewhere down the road that may like us for who we are.

by sri on Feb 21, 2008 8:46 AM EST up reply actions

QB

In this league the window is open if, and only if, you have a good quarterback. We are going to try and see if Trent is that guy. In this league you can get real good, real fast with a top notch QB. The Bills are just trying to stay young and maintain a few building blocks on offense and defense until they find said QB. Hopefully Trent is the game manager we all think he can be. If Edwards can develop into Trent Green (during his prime) or Matt Hasselbeck then the Bills could have an open window for 7 or 8 years.

I think the Bills are in position to take advantage of an opportunity right now. This team with a better quarterback is only a couple moves away from being a contender.

by kaisertown on Feb 21, 2008 10:21 AM EST up reply actions

Quarterback

Kaisertown,

I completely agree with everything that you mentioned above, except for the "game manager" part. While there are situations where quarterbacks must manage the game and play not to lose the game, I do believe that top-notch quarterbacks must be able to go out and win games, too. I guess it depends on your definition of "game manager".

Yes, having an elite quarterback goes a long way towards being consistently competitive in this league. Absolutely. Quarterbacks such as Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Green in their primes are good, however I want the Bills to have a quarterback with zero limitations.

How good do you want the Bills to be?

by Fort Worth on Feb 21, 2008 11:03 AM EST up reply actions

um...

Trent Green and Matt Hasselbeck in their prime are good? Both were consistent 4,000 yard passers in their prime. That's not good that's excellent. If Trent becomes like them we will win a Super Bowl with Marshawn Lynch running the ball

CB, DLine in FA WR, WLB in Draft

by poz on Feb 27, 2008 3:23 PM EST up reply actions

I really like the path this franchise is on.

Specifically referring to the players, and coaching staff. I think we all have problems with the ownership though. Nevertheless..

They have acquired a very nice blend of talent and character, and quite a bit of it actually. They are very young, which bodes well for the franchise over the next few seasons.

With one more successful offseason (this one), I expect them to be playoff contenders. They weren't very far from it last year. Jauron & Co are very respected around the league. Players like playing for him. That's good mojo for your franchise. I expect him to keep improving this team, through growth and solid acquisitions.

As long as this franchise can be proactive in identifying and locking up their core players, I see no reason why they won't be very good for several years ahead.

by krytime on Feb 20, 2008 4:48 PM EST reply actions

Bills - Sabres comparison

So I hate to do this (I LOVE my Sabres and Bills), but doesn't it seem like we always let our players go just as they are at their prime. I will like the direction of our team, if and only if we extend Crowell and Evans AND have another good draft. I am not so much worried about a huge free agent coming in but keeping the key guys already on the roster. We could sign one of those FA receivers or whomever, but we need to keep Evans and Crowell or else we will just be the Sabres all over again.

by hilliarddavid on Feb 20, 2008 6:32 PM EST reply actions