Time for a Rant, Buffalo News Style

by Brian Galliford on Jun 14, 2007 9:33 AM EDT in Buffalo Bills News

I thought I'd start the morning off on a little rant about an article I read that really rubbed me the wrong way. Sometimes, I think Bob DiCesare plays on the same team as Jerry Sullivan. The Buffalo News columnist thinks Darwin Walker is making Marv Levy look silly:

Who trades in a car before asking for the price on the new one? Buffalo Bills General Manager Marv Levy, that's who...

If the Bills buckle they might be overpaying for a player of overblown quality, just as they did in signing offensive tackle Langston Walker for $25 million over five years. If they return Darwin Walker to the Eagles, the end result of the Spikes-Holcomb trade becomes a meager pair of late-round draft picks. And if they decline to ship him back to Philly, just leave him to dangle in a holdout, then they're down to a seventh-round draft pick for Spikes and Holcomb unless they eventually come to terms...

He overreached for Langston Walker, whose reputation was in tatters after his time with Oakland, an acquisition that drew the Bills tighter to their spend-to-the-cap budget. He wiped the franchise clean of front-line veterans Spikes, London Fletcher, Nate Clements and Willis McGahee. Only Clements, who sat on the throne of free agency, was a sure-fire goner. The others were the victims of front-office decisions.

DiCesare irritates me. He just doesn't get it, pretty much ever. How he can compare Langston Walker to Darwin Walker is pretty much beyond me. As I mentioned last week, Walker didn't get a fair shake in Oakland. Good thing Levy doesn't sign players based on their reputation (or more importantly, what Bob DiCesare thinks of them), because Walker should give the Bills a far more balanced running attack. The offensive line was Priority Number One this off-season; we added one player to the defensive line. That's why we spent the money on Langston, Mr. DiCesare - he plays well at a position we're trying to upgrade.

What irritates me on his stance with Darwin Walker is that while he admits that Walker may be overrated as a player, he still thinks the Bills should break the bank to sign him. Why? Because sending him back to Philadelphia and getting 6th and 7th round picks in exchange for Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb would look bad. He also claims that getting three picks for McGahee and two for Spikes/Holcomb would be "disconcerting". Five draft picks for two overrated players that weren't happy in Buffalo, plus an aging backup quarterback? Sounds like a heck of a deal to me.

DiCesare reminds me of a 14-year-old sophomore high school girl. You know, that one who all the other girls like because she's, like, so popular? Those girls are typically bimbos. They're also more concerned with their image and popularity than, say, getting a quality education - which is, in fact, what high school is all about. So while Bob is playing the part of bimbo high school chick while worrying about how the franchise is perceived with these deals, Marv Levy is taping up his glasses, snapping on his suspenders and studying away in Chemistry lab.

That's what football is all about - chemistry. That's what trading Spikes, McGahee and Holcomb was all about. Out with the old school, in with the new - and in with a philosophy that is team-first, not me-first. Marv Levy isn't the popular kid in school, he's the quiet nerdy kid who grows up to be a genius multi-millionaire while Bimbo whines about not getting her fair shake in life.

Marv Levy is building a winner. Most Bills fans understand that - our offense looks smooth, our defense is green but talented and our coaching staff has the look of being top-notch. No matter what Bob DiCesare says, the truth is that this franchise is making educated moves. Chalk it up to working hard in Chem lab.

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good post

I haven't read much of the Buff Snooze ever, nor do I plan too. I've always heard bad things, so I've stayed away. Looks like I've made a wise decision in not wasting my time.

Again, a writer is completely off base about the Darwin Walker situation. (Like you brought up, how does Langston Walker have anything to do with this??)

What really ticks me off most about all these writers and their so called opinions is that they NEVER offer up what they feel should have been done. It's always, "The Bills got hosed by Philly, Walker doesn't deserve the money, McGahee is a superstar" blah blah blah blah. Never do I hear what they would have done with McGahee or Spikes. I'm not a very good or polished writer and probably don't have their ability to make a topic more interesting, but I do know it is important to actually substantiate an opinion and backup your thoughts. These guys constantly criticize but never actually provide any real insight or opinion.

With all that, if making the trade for Walker is making us look so bad, what exactly should we have done with Spikes and Holcomb? Did he want us to keep them and their big salaries? Should we have held on to Spikes with the small glimmer of hope he returns to his pre-injury form?

If he really thinks we could have done better than a couple of later rounds picks for Spikes and Holcomb he must be eating some wild and crazy mushrooms. Both were going to be salary cap substractions at some point this offseason and were not going to help us get better this year or in the future. Getting anything for those two was great, in my opinion. Getting a deal done with Walker would have been nice, but I'm not mad at all. I'm actually thrilled that Marv had the sense to include the return-to-Philly-for-a-6th-rounder clause. That's making him look smart....

I love that these guys were "victims of front office decisions". I can't comprehend how laughable that statement is. If anything, we were victims of their poor production, declining ability, monetary demands and big mouths.

by Kurupt on Jun 14, 2007 1:49 PM EDT reply actions