Who did better, me or the Bills?

by kaisertown on Apr 28, 2009 10:00 PM EDT Comment 32 comments

I did a live shadow draft where I made the picks for Buffalo when they were (or were going to be) on the clock. Now that my mock offseason has gotten to the point where the roster has taken shape, I wanted to compare my offseason vs. the Bills'. But first, I want to throw some quick thoughts out about the draft.

I thoughts the Pats did an awesome job. It makes me hate them even more.

On the flip side, I didn't like KC's draft or Denver's all that much. I would actually go as far to say that I think KC's draft might have been worse than Oakland's. I think it becomes more clear every year that Belichick is light years ahead of the rest of the league in evaluation, schemes and philosophy and that even includes the coaches and front office people that he surrounds himself with.

I'm sure there are some people claiming that Maybin isn't a good fit in a 4-3, but the right defensive end spot in this defense is designed to specifically limit the run stopping responsibilities. One of the goals of the scheme is to protect the RDE. On run downs the job of the right defensive end is to cover the gap to the outisde of the left tackle. As a speed rusher that also happens to be the same place that Maybin would be heading on pass plays. If the run is to the outisde of the LT than the RDE's first option is to make the tackle (something that Schobel has excelled at), but if Maybin's explosion off the snap can force the RB to go back inside than it would also be considered a successful job. The RDE could also just string the run outside as far as possible and leave the CB or FS to make the tackle near the sideline. Maybin will typically line up so far outside the LT that an offense can't really try to run right at him. The LT will have a really tough time trying to square up on Maybin and drive him in a way where he isn't covering his gap. Even if the LT gets a great push on Maybin, but pushes him outisde and creates that hole between himself and the LG, then it isn't Maybin's responsibility anymore and Kawika Mitchell will be the guy making the tackle.

I loved the Bills draft except for that one little ommission of a left tackle. It doesn't make sense to me that Buffalo would draft a building block type player in Maybin, but would then do something as short sighted as assuming Walker can play LT this year and that Bell can be the guy in the future. Buffalo ends up in a pretty tight spot if Walker can't handle the position. How do they set up the OL if you have to move Walker back to RT?

Onto my mock:
Here's a quick recap of what I did:

I traded Peters to Philly for the 28th pick and the 4th pick in the 5th round (141). Since the Bills got more than that, I just threw in Philly's 7th rounder (230) as well. I also traded Roscoe Parrish to KC for their 5 round pick (139).

I retained all the same players that Buffalo did except for Corey McIntyre and some other minor players and let all the same players leave other than Angelo Crowell who I gave a solid contract to. I cut Chris Kelsay and signed Hangartner, Houshmandzadeh, Charlie Batch, Keiwan Ratliff, Jason Babin, Jeremy Newberry and Michael Pittman. So with similiar needs to the Bills, I drafted:

11 - Michael Oher - I really thought this should have been an obvious pick and I would bet that the Bills are looking for a new LT next offseason.

28 - Everette Brown - I was prepared to reach a little on Connor Barwin or even Michael Johnson, but got rather lucky. How did he last as long as he did? At least Carolina gave up their first rounder next year which reassured my belief that he was truly a first round prospect.

42 - Jarron Gilbert - I stayed true to my mock from a few weeks ago and went Oher, best DE, Gilbert. Jarron is mostly a DT on my squad and gives us an instant pass rusher from the inside as well as someone who can be slid outside on short yardage plays. The selection of Gilbert and the presense of Spencer Johnson also lets me ignore replacing Kelsay. Denney will start at LDE with Gilbert, Johnson and even Chris Ellis and/or Jason Babin seeing time situationally.

75 - Shawn Nelson - I was surprised to see him here in the third round. Who woulda thunk he could've been picked 35 spots later? With all the TEs still on the board, I considered waiting a round, but I thought there was a decent dropoff after Nelson and Chase Coffman.

110 - Chip Vaughn - A sliding Duke Robinson or Tyronne Greene was almost the pick, but I figured there was enough depth there to take a player in Vaughn, who like many fellow Rumblers, I really believe in.

139 - Duke Robinson - In the pick I got for Roscoe, I take a player who I don't like very much, but provides good value. I'm very comfortable with a Chambers/Robinson competition at RG with Butler starting at LG.

141 - Marcus Freeman - LB isn't a need with Crowell coming back, but like Robinson, Freeman has great value at this point in the draft. This is the second pick that I got from Philly and am quite happy with a return of Brown and Freeman with a 7th rounder still to come.

147 - Coye Francies - Another value pick. I'll take a gamble on the inexperienced player with size, speed and upside over Victor Harris who I also considered. With Keiwan Ratliff and Reggie Corner as the 4/5 CBs, Francies might push a good player off the roster or force me to keep 6 CBs.

183 - A.Q. Shipley - Shipley should be a great backup center for his career. Not the sexiest pick, but an interior offensive lineman was a need and this late in the draft any remaining need had to be addressed with this pick.

220 - Brannan Southerland - one of my biggest regrets was being unable to add a great FB. Luckily, I was able to take Southerland who went undrafted. Considering he's the only FB on my roster, he is essentially a lock to make the team and that alone makes me happy with the pick.

230 - Kory Sheets - Michael Pittman isn't exactly reliable at age 34 so Sheets could be a necessity if Jackson misses any time when Lynch is suspended.

I also grabbed some players after the draft to fill out my 80 man, training camp roster. This is always tough because you have to be able to not just grab all the best players and try to be somewhat realistic. I did cheat some and end up with a far better list than Buffalo will actually be able to pull off. So after all that, here are the 60ish players who are most likely to make my final 53 man roster:

QB - Trent Edwards - Charlie Batch - Gibran Hamdan
RB - Marshawn Lynch - Fred Jackson - Michael Pittman - Kory Sheets - Xavier Omon - Bruce Hall
FB - Brannan Southerland - Travis McCall(ufa)
TE - Derek Fine - Shawn Nelson - Derek Schouman - Jonathon Stupar - Travis McCall(ufa)
WR - Lee Evans - TJ Houshmandzadeh - Josh Reed - James Hardy - Steve Johnson - Justin Jenkins - Felton Huggins
LT - Michael Oher - Demetrius Bell
LG - Brad Butler - Chambers/Robinson
OC - Geoff Hangartner - Jeremy Newberry - A.Q. Shipley
RG - Chambers/Robinson
RT - Langston Walker

RDE - Aaron Schobel - Everette Brown - Chris Ellis - Jason Babin
LDE - Ryan Denney - Zach Potter(ufa)
DT - Marcus Stroud - Kyle Williams - Jarron Gilbert - Spencer Johnson - John McCargo
OLB - Kawika Mitchell - Angelo Crowell - Keith Ellison - Marcus Freeman - Blake Costanzo - Ace Bowen - Jon Corto - Marcus Buggs
MLB - Paul Posluszny - John DiGiorgio - Kelvin Smith
CB - Terrance McGee - Leodis McKelvin - Ashton Youboty - Reggie Corner - Keiwan Ratliff - Coye Francies
SS - Bryan Scott - Chip Vaughn
FS - Donte Whitner - Ko Simpson - George Wilson - John Wendling

Poll

Who had the better offseason?

You did. The LT, DE and DT in the draft as well as Housh can be both early contributers and a core to continue to build for the future

18 votes

Buffalo. Give me Maybin, TO and the new guards and leave the work to the actual professionals

128 votes

146 votes | Poll has closed

This FanPost was written by a registered user of Buffalo Rumblings. Its views do not necessarily reflect the views of Rumblings' editorial staff, but are just as valued as our own.

1 recs | Comment 32 comments

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Comments

Voted for the bills draft...but ask me in 3 years

by tiimbitz4786 on Apr 28, 2009 10:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How do they set up the OL if you have to move Walker back to RT?

That’s a helluva good question. Let’s just assume the starting OL against the Pats week 1 is Walker/Levitre/Hang/Wood/Butler. What happens if 3-4 games into the season Walker is getting creamed by speed rushers? Let’s assume worst case scenario he allows 4-6 sacks in the first quarter of the season and lets Trent get clobbered a bunch of times. We can’t just let him continue at LT, can we? Do we throw Butler over there and hope he’s better? We obviously don’t put Walker on the bench because he is probably our best lineman, him and Butler.

That’s just a nightmare scenario if you ask me. If Walker obviously can’t handle LT and we have to make a change during the season, I’m guessing he’ll swing back over to RT, Chambers will come off the bench to play LT and Butler will replace one of the rookie Guards. That just sucks. But if that change is necessary, I think the season will already be well on the way to over, as usual. The staff really is placing a ton of pressure on Walker working out at LT…..

Another problem with this is it becomes a numbers game in the future too. If Walker can’t handle LT and we need to find that young replacement in the draft next year, we’ll have our 2 rookie Guards and Butler, with Walker at RT….Which of the four goes to the bench next year? Do we cut Walker or Butler then? You are right that this is short sighted because if Walker at LT doesn’t work out, and I’m as skeptical as anyone that it will work, we’re going to have to either bench a good lineman or completely get rid of one. Of course, if one of the rookies ends up being a dud, we’ll have that covered! What a mess next offseason could be….

I really thought this should have been an obvious pick and I would bet that the Bills are looking for a new LT next offseason.

I bet they are too, even if Walker has a relatively successful season. I just don’t think he can handle the position full-time. Maybe Bell beats the odds and actually becomes a starter, and a good one, but I don’t think it’s happening (not until I see something out of him). I just don’t think Walker will be athletic or quick enough to handle the position well enough.

Overall, I like the Bills free agency better, but only slightly. TO is probably better for this one year, but I like House because he’d be hear longer. Oh well. Florence and Ratliff is a wash, as is McKinney/Newberry even though Newberry is currently a FA. Batch/Fitz are probably a wash too. The Rhodes signing is MUCH better than Pittman, IMO. Pittman hurt his neck last year, and I tend to believe he’s probably done. I like adding Babin after cutting Kelsay. I would have done something similar if I were doing what you did. I like the TO/Rhodes signings enough to give reality the edge.

I like your draft better. We’ve got a young LT now, a quality speed rusher in Brown, a good DL prospect in Gilbert that will help keep Stroud/Williams fresh, Nelson, a SS prospect (though I think FS would have been a better pickup, just like the Bills), an ok G prospect in Robinson and a solid backup LB in Freeman. Not bad at all. I like our real draft’s interior pickups more than yours, that’s for sure. I like adding the speed back since you added Pittman, and I like getting the FB that can be our guy this year. Not sure about Shipley, but at least he’s an experienced interior player.

I’m pretty sure I like your OL a lot better, even though I like our interior line a tad bit better. I just like having Walker over on the right side, a talented LT and experience inside. You get the edge.

I think the D’s are too similar. No edge for either.

In the end, I like your offseason better. We obviously could have gone with our real FA pickups like Rhodes and TO instead. Good job with your draft, that’s a A/A- in my book.

After all that, you would have won anyways simply because of:

I cut Chris Kelsay

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Apr 28, 2009 11:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the vote and the comments. I fully expected to lose out on this pole, but it’s far more discouraging than I expected. Couple things:

If I honestly had to guess how things will look in about 11 months, I would guess a new coach is in Buffalo and looking for a left tackle as priority 1. Walker is either cut or back at RT and if he doesn’t get cut than whoever played worse between Wood, Hang and Levitre is back on the bench. I think even if Walker works out pretty well that a new coach wouldn’t be comfortable with him at LT, so I think Jauron essentially needs to be the HC in 2010 for this OL to not have to dump a quality player or bench a high draft pick. How can people not see that as short sighted?

Overall, I like the Bills free agency better, but only slightly

I actually like the Bills FA a little better myself. When I signed Housh, TO was still a Dallas Cowboy. I honestly cannot say if I would have done things differently if Owens was released prior to the beginning of FA. What I will say is that Buffalo signing TO was a brilliant move. My roster will end up costing about the same as Buffalo’s this year and I gave Housh about 9 mil more in year one than Buffalo gave TO. That REALLY limited what I could do FA wise. Trading Parrish and cutting Kelsay helped, but it also forced me to settle for the other FAs I signed. So my plan was to get mostly older vets on one year deals, pay as much of the Housh signing bonus upfront as I could and really put this team in a position to compete for more than a wildcard in 2010. I ran this offseason as if I were a new GM who was looking to compete in 2009 and build on that success in 2010 and beyond. So I tried to find guys to fill roles now while still committing to building towards a Super Bowl.

If I had to guess what the biggest dissapointment to the average Buffalo Rumbler would be in 2009, it would be that Wood and Levitre aren’t instant good starters at guard. I expect them to both struggle some this year. Even the late first round stud interior guys like Ben Grubbs, Nick Mangold and Aaron Sears weren’t all that impressive as rookies. And I know that Chilo Rachal (picked 39th by SF last year) was considered to have had an awful rookie season by 49er fans. Like you, I value experience along at the interior OL spots.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 1:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think its pretty easy to say that if walker can't handle a full year at LT then butler/chambers or even bell will get a shot..

walker has proven w/ his few starts at LT that he is capable of manning the position, but the question is how will he fair against elite rushers such as peppers, porter, freeney, etc… i think if he can get his hands on these guys he will be fine because he is a big man and as long as he can get on them he will be able to slow them down and give trent the time to make a decision w/ the football. Butler also played some LT as did chambers and both faired well also.. and butler is definately better suited for tackle than guard, and i think he is a guy that could play either LT or RT… i feel the same about chambers.. and scott a guy we got this year has also started games in the NFL at LT so there is another option.. Bell is the biggest question mark of all these guys and that’s fine because he is very athletic and will still get plenty of time to develop w/ the other guys on the roster there is no need to throw him into fire if he isn’t ready…

so for me although there are obvious queistions about this line.. you have to feel very good about the options we have at all of the positions on the line, so w/ all the guys in the mix we ought to be able to find 5 that fit in and work together.. i also happen to think that wood will be playing LG instead of RG as many have mentioned on here.. according to OBD that is where they plan on trying him first, and should transition well.. and i think will also help anyone who is LT assuming hangartner can handle his man in the middle, and we also have fine/shcouman/3 backs who capable of picking up slack in pass blocking..

by Shovel51 on Apr 29, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

walker has proven w/ his few starts at LT that he is capable of manning the position, but the question is how will he fair against elite rushers such as peppers, porter, freeney, etc…

I disagree.

Walker made one start at LT, and looking back at his previous seasons, I don’t think he ever played there in the NFL before. If he has, it wasn’t a successful stint when he was with Oakland. I don’t think he’s proven anything. His one start came against a bad Seattle team last year, and that isn’t enough to say he’s proven anything. We should all be very worried about him projecting Trent’s blind side.

Butler also played some LT

Butler hasn’t played tackle in the NFL, let alone LT. I’m confident he can man the right side, but would be very apprehensive about him playing on the left side.

and scott a guy we got this year has also started games in the NFL at LT so there is another option

I think Scott had a few starts at RT for Detroit, but I couldn’t find anything about him starting games at LT.

Sure, there’s a lot of options for us, but are any of them really that good? I suppose our strength will be in numbers this year!

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Apr 30, 2009 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry man, I gotta go with the Bills draft

But then again I’m more comfortable with Walker and Bell then most here, so the no LT thing didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did others.

I love Maybin, I love the new inner line, I think Nelson is the biggest steal of the draft and am warming up to Byrd. Sorry man, but the Bills did better.

by CanadianBillsFan on Apr 29, 2009 12:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

haha, no need for apologies. I wonder how much of a factor that Walker vs. rookie LT has/will be. How many people have voted based on a belief that Walker will be a solid LT?

I too LOVE Maybin. I’ve supported him all along and was very happy when the Bills took him.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think if we had a shot at Smith, Monroe or Smith, then I’d agree that the rookie would have been better then Walker or Bell, but anyone else after was not going to be an imidiate upgrade over Walker, or better then what Bell can be in the future. Basicly why I have no problem with the Bills not drafting a FA. But that wasn’t my deciding factor, I just prefer the Bills first 5 picks over yours and love how much they concentrated on the trenches with quality players that can immidietly start. Thats not to say that I didn’t like your draft, I don’t think that I would have complained much if thats the way it would have happened, but I just prefer the Bills draft.

by CanadianBillsFan on Apr 29, 2009 1:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I just like Oher more than most. I think that he is an instant upgrade over Walker because his recovery abilities as a pass blocker are fantastic. I think he will be the week one starter at LT in Baltimore (over a OT in Jared Gaither who I would actually prefer over Walker) and is the kind of talent who could give up only a sack or two as a rookie. I think he is the kind of player who could anchor a line who gives the QB all day. I guess, agree to disagree.

What you said was more than fair though. But I do felt like I concentrated on the trenches myself. Picking a guard isn’t any better than picking one OT and keeping Butler at guard. But OBD did address the second guard spot much earlier than I did. I really wish that Tyronne Greene was the player who slid instead of Robinson. I did add who I believe would be an instant contributer on the DL in Jauron Gilbert though. I think my three DL/OL players in the first three picks addressed it just as much or more than Buffalo did.

Personally, I’ll believe Bell when I can see him. I remember him being somewhat of a surprise last preseason, but I wasn’t blown away either. For now, I guess I’m just still viewing him as a 7th round pick.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that time will tel. But both drafts are very solid.

by CanadianBillsFan on Apr 29, 2009 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Chiefs drafted strictly so they could play their 3-4 defense and did not take value at all, their picks in Jackson and Magee should be solid players but yes they had a terrible draft but we have to factor in Cassell into it and wait and see how he performs since he was essentially their 2nd round pick.

by Fam_1st on Apr 29, 2009 12:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn’t really think Jackson was a bad pick, but I thought Magee was crazy. Considering that they have the fifth overall pick from a year ago in Dorsey and a very solid Tank Tyler who could play that role, I have no clue why they went back to back DE. I also thought that Washington was a bad pick.

Your right though that Matt Cassel will end up defining their draft and if he works out than they deserve a high grade.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 1:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah i thought maybe they would get some guys to protect their franchise qb as well

by Shovel51 on Apr 29, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your draft was better but we had no idea the draft would play out like that with Brown and Robinson falling like they did and also you’d need a FS prospect instead of a SS in Vaughn unless you planned on converting him to WLB?

by Fam_1st on Apr 29, 2009 12:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He did a real time mock draft as if he were on the clock. So when the Bills were on the clock at 28, he picked Brown who was still available, and so on….

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Apr 29, 2009 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly, I got lucky a couple of times and reached a couple of times as well. I couldn’t believe it when I had the chance to pick Brown and couldn’t believe it when I realized that I took Nelson and Robinson a round early. Drafting is crazy. I really recommend everyone try it next year. It gives you a whole new perspective.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 1:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes but we had no way of knowing Brown would be there and since we drafted Maybin in the 1st it would’nt had been Ideal for us to draft Brown with our other needs, Had we not taken an End in the 1st than yes Brown would’ve been a great pick but as long as we did we’d have to have started out with a different position from the 1st pick.

by Fam_1st on Apr 29, 2009 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m comfortable with Whitner at either safety spot. It’s also very possible that I keep Simpson insted of Wilson or Wendling to back up the FS spot.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think our safetys will be byrd, wilson, wendling, whitner, scott

by Shovel51 on Apr 29, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We had no idea Brown would’ve fallen or yes it wouldve been better to draft Oher and still gotten a talent like Brown in the 2nd and yah never know Brown could turn out to be the best if the crop?

by Fam_1st on Apr 29, 2009 2:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think the philosophy isn’t as important as the results. I’ve clearly been a huge supporter in improving the pass rush and the biggest reason I didn’t go DE with the first pick is that I thought Oher set up the rest of the draft better than Orakpo or Maybin did.

I pointed out in my mock in the fanpost that I was more than willing to reach at 28 or 42 for a DE, but got lucky. I think I should get credit for that just like I would give Buffalo credit for getting lucky with Nelson still being there in round 4.

by kaisertown on Apr 29, 2009 2:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have to admitt

I like your mock a whole lot better, just my opinion.

Are we drafting Dino's now?
"6'6" monster receiver with a Terradactyl wingspan "....... Keysh67

by Billsfanstuckinthesouth on Apr 29, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think you did OK

Its not a bad mock draft. I agree with you in some areas, but overall Id go with what the Bills did. I think the Bills had a great draft minus a few things. I probably would have changed Maybin with Orakpo and Byrd with a DE. But overall Im content for now.

by Djlarose on Apr 29, 2009 11:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Your draft here woulda been the best in the draft, I do really like Chip Vaughn but we needed a FS not a SS unless you’re visioning moving him to WLB? I woulda liked to had gone with Oher myself and had taken Brown later but I doubt we woulda waited that long to take Robinson and probably woulda taken him higher not knowing he would fall that far, Krig Urbik woulda also been a nice choice. Levitre is a player I am very unfamiliar with outside of watching a few Oregon St. games over the years-I never paidattention to him at the time.

by Fam_1st on Apr 29, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah but at 11 did you really expect brown to fall that far? so do you take elite pass rusher who upgrades your pass rush instanntly.. or a tackle that is raw, and may not even upgrade you at the position this year?

by Shovel51 on Apr 29, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

but we needed a FS not a SS

I’ve seen that a handful of times now, but i don’t really get it. Wasn’t it just less than a year ago that everyone on this blog was clamoring for Buffalo to move Whitner to FS? I think he fits fine at either safety position and as a result, my goal was simply to get the best safety prospect that I could get in rounds 3-5, regardless of position.

by kaisertown on Apr 30, 2009 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like your mock, but I voted for the Bills

I liked Oher, but not Brown that early. So, for me it came down to Maybin/Wood/Byrd vs Oher/Brown/Gilbert.

"Get ready for the pain women…the pain train is coming Whooo Whooooo !!!!!" – Terry Tate Office Linebacker

by Joe P. on Apr 29, 2009 1:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Your Depth Chart

1st off when did the Bills sign TJ Hoozurmama, and I think the Bills did much better. Maybin is gonna be a stud.

by djblitz11 on Apr 29, 2009 6:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I signed Housh. I did an entire real-time mock offseason.

by kaisertown on Apr 30, 2009 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Loved your mock, but still voted Bills

Last Saturday I would have pulled my hair out, except I’m already bald. When I saw Oher was still there I thought we were going to get him for sure. When we didn’t I thought we would try and trade up to get him, but noooooo. With all the positive attention he was getting, I thought it would be good for us. I also thought Brown would be good for, because I think he could’ve been a full time player. I guess that’s why I spent the last 26 years in the USAF and not working for the Bills. I really did love your Mock, but I gotta go with the pro’s.

Why do today, when it can wait til tomorrow; the games on!

by UtahBillsFan on Apr 29, 2009 6:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

if it were just the mock

I probably would have voted for it. The “offseason moves” you made gave me pause. First off, I do not think Crowell would have signed with the Bills. Whether he said he wanted to come back is irrelevant. It could have been just to increase interest in himself from other teams. After what he pulled late last summer, i don’t think the FO would have offered him an extension anyway.

I also do not think we could afford paying TJ Housh. $8 million a year. We’re already shelling out top dollar to Lee Evans.

Those two reaches kind of threw me off. All else aside, I like the pick of AQ Shipley in the late rounds. On of my first impressions, when i saw where he went in the draft, was to think we should have drafted someone else in the 3rd round and taken him.

Overall, nice job. I mocked out the first round for the first time this year and had a blast with it.

by Moneyballer23 on Apr 29, 2009 9:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I do not think Crowell would have signed with the Bills.

I would have happily gave him twice as much money as he got. I probably would have even gone higher than that. I’m pretty confident that he hadn’t ruled Buffalo out and if it would’ve taken a much bigger contract than anyone was willing to give to prove to him that he was wanted here, then I wouldn’t have had a problem giving it to him.

I also do not think we could afford paying TJ Housh. $8 million a year

That was something that never actually bother me. My logic was that you can always throw crazy amounts of money into a single position in the short term as long as it doesn’t hinder you in the future. As you can see, I really skimped on a lot of the offseason signings in an attempt to pay Housh as much money in year one as I could. Despite making 9 mil this year and 8 mil next year, Evans only makes 3 mil over the last two years of his deal. The way I structured Housh’s deal actually gave him almost 15 mil this year, so he would only be making about 6 or 7 mil per year after this season. I think Buffalo could easily work around those deals in the future.