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:
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.