Nice analysis. I still want a #2 WR, though…

Here was my response:

Obviously there weren’t many starting WRs who caught as few TDs as Reed did. But Deion Branch, Chad Johnson, Roy Williams, Plaxico Burress, Chris Chambers, Amani Toomer, Ronald Curry, Jerry Porter, Drew Bennett, Kevin Curtis, Roscoe Parrish, Joey Galloway, Andre Davis and Reggie Brown all had a higher cap number and fewer yards than Reed. That list also doesn’t include players on IR like Nate Burleson and Joe Jurevicious. So of the 40 WRs who had a higher cap hit then Reed, 16 of them had fewer yards then Reed did.

And that is just the salary cap. Javon Walker, Antwaan Randle El, Erenst Wilford, Brandon Stokely, Patrick Crayton, Donte Stallworth and Reggie Williams all signed contracts with a bigger per year average then Reed and had fewer catches and yards then Reed did.

Considering that Reed missed a few games and the Bills were in the bottom third in the league in pass attempts, I don’t know how you can consider Reed to be overpaid. He is what he is, he is a decent underneath possesion receiver, but he is also compensated like one.

That list of names you chose includes mostly bench players- not WRs who have started the past two years. If you feel like digging up stats, check out their snaps on offense compared to Reed’s and then measure his value over a replacement player (VORP). I’m not getting into this outdated argument again because this team isn’t close enough for a #2 WR to make us contenders. Frankly, I think Reed’s a perverse fan favorite because he’s short, slow, and untalented and fans like to root for the everyman like that. To summarize, you can’t make a list of overpaid players on the Bills and not include a STARTING WR who has 1 touchdown in the last two seasons. That’s not B.S., your rebuttal is.

Reed had a good year, for Reed. The last few years not so much. If the Bills could add a good outside WR, Reed could put up even better numbers.

Yeah, I harped on Reed last year because I wanted to argue the need to upgrade the weapons available for Trent Edwards. I stand by that to this day, but this team has bigger positions to fill in my view. People do this all the time at other positions in following this team (Center! Defensive End!) but with no rebuttal. To say I constantly bash Reed is sort of selective memory in my opinion. I think it’s much more telling that in responding to a list of 10 players that didn’t earn their contracts last year (as invited by the poster), I named three players who I thought belonged on the list more than Whitner, and only Reed’s name caused fierce, bizarre defending. I honestly think my opinion of the role of the starting WR opposite Evans is much more even keeled than many of the posters who support the current direction of the offensive weapontry employed at OBD. -B.S.

My argument was and is how many starting WRs who earned close to 3 million dollars had both less than 600 yards and 1 or fewer touchdowns? You chose to respond with your own group of players who didn’t fit that description. I personally believe that if you plugged in any WR into the starting lineup (say Steve Johnson), they’ should get more than the 40-55 catches, 450-550 yards, and 0.5 TDs like Reed’s done the last two years starting. Thus, I think Buffalo could do better with the 3 million dollars they paid Reed…I’m no Whitner fan, but’s he’s an average safety who has room to grow. Reed’s a below average multi-million dollar starting WR with no upside.

We are a team tat doesn’t throw the ball around, he was injured for a few games, and our overall offensive production is low, considering we usually get out matched physically and lose the time of possession battle in the 2nd half. I used to hate Josh Reed, but it is clear that he is one of the most consistent players the Bills have and I am glad we still have him. I also think, if we got a good receiving TE, a threat, and the Bills began to control and dictate games and have more offensive production (at least in the middle of the league) Reed could see upwards of 70 catches, 700 yards, and some more Tds….if he wasn’t injured he probably would have had that last season as he was only 14 cathes and 100 yards off that mark. And that is good for a #2 receiver in my book. Just look at Lofton’s numbers here in the 90s

I used to be anti-Josh Reed. This was about two years ago. I thought he was someone we could cut. At the time we had a big influx of wide receivers, it was the deepest position on the team (Moulds, Evans, Reed, Parrish, Aiken, Freddie Smith, G. Wilson) and Reed was having problems with drops. He was a second round pick of the Bills and sort of underperformed in his first year as a #2, almost getting outperformed by Bobby Shaw.

Since then J Reed has picked up his game, and I’ve completely changed my opinion. He’s the best route-running receiver we have. He doesn’t have issues with drops anymore. His natural agility creates a dynamic amount of seperation on the route, even if he doesn’t have the speed to be a true playmaker. Even if his role is relegated to a slot receiver, it has proven to be essential to what the offense struggles with most — sustaining drives and moving the ball down the field. He’s also the most complete WR we have — the strongest and best blocking we have.

Josh Reed is slow, short, and untalented, okay. Tom Brady is immobile, getting older, and has lost a whole season to injury.