Elijah
02-19-2009, 10:04 AM
By PFW
The Buffalo faithful’s faith is being tested. In the aftermath of a season that crash-landed down the stretch, the club has done nothing to inspire confidence that 2009 will be anything more than yet another disappointment. It’s a reality that has become all too familiar in Western New York — their nine-year playoff drought is the AFC’s longest.
Naturally, they can’t add any impact veterans until free agency commences Feb. 27, but anything that could’ve been done to inspire confidence that ’09 will be better than ’08 hasn’t happened. Coach Dick Jauron remains in his post. So do offensive and defensive coordinators Turk Schonert and Perry Fewell. The movers and shakers in front office aren’t going anywhere. And what’s particularly alarming is that those being paid to do the moving and shaking are likely staring at a financial conundrum that will bar them from doing so.
While the nationwide recession has affected all 32 teams, the Bills have the added handicap of having been cash-strapped even before the economy went south. There’s a pervasive feeling throughout the league that there will be fewer big-buck, blockbuster deals in the upcoming free-agency period than we’re accustomed to seeing, and Buffalo could find it particularly difficult to execute its desired fortifications.
At least some of that reality can be traced to decisions of prior years that have since backfired. Take the offensive line, for example. For a club that historically has been loath to dish out top dollar to outside veteran free agents, the Bills’ heavy investments in OLG Derrick Dockery ($49 million) and ORT Langston Walker ($25 million) in the ’07 offseason stood as bold deviations from their previously established mantra. Yet neither has approached his contract value, and the team’s long-term financial commitment to them hampers their maneuverability going forward.
A similar situation exists on the defensive line, where DEs Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay are the owners of contracts worth a combined $74 million, with Kelsay’s running through the 2010 season and Schobel’s not expiring until 2013. Kelsay’s impact since inking his deal in ’07 has been nothing more than solid, whereas the most telling conclusion about Schobel’s contribution can be found in unheralded backup Ryan Denney’s superior play when he replaced Schobel in the lineup for a stubborn foot injury that cost Schobel the second half of last season.
The Buffalo faithful’s faith is being tested. In the aftermath of a season that crash-landed down the stretch, the club has done nothing to inspire confidence that 2009 will be anything more than yet another disappointment. It’s a reality that has become all too familiar in Western New York — their nine-year playoff drought is the AFC’s longest.
Naturally, they can’t add any impact veterans until free agency commences Feb. 27, but anything that could’ve been done to inspire confidence that ’09 will be better than ’08 hasn’t happened. Coach Dick Jauron remains in his post. So do offensive and defensive coordinators Turk Schonert and Perry Fewell. The movers and shakers in front office aren’t going anywhere. And what’s particularly alarming is that those being paid to do the moving and shaking are likely staring at a financial conundrum that will bar them from doing so.
While the nationwide recession has affected all 32 teams, the Bills have the added handicap of having been cash-strapped even before the economy went south. There’s a pervasive feeling throughout the league that there will be fewer big-buck, blockbuster deals in the upcoming free-agency period than we’re accustomed to seeing, and Buffalo could find it particularly difficult to execute its desired fortifications.
At least some of that reality can be traced to decisions of prior years that have since backfired. Take the offensive line, for example. For a club that historically has been loath to dish out top dollar to outside veteran free agents, the Bills’ heavy investments in OLG Derrick Dockery ($49 million) and ORT Langston Walker ($25 million) in the ’07 offseason stood as bold deviations from their previously established mantra. Yet neither has approached his contract value, and the team’s long-term financial commitment to them hampers their maneuverability going forward.
A similar situation exists on the defensive line, where DEs Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay are the owners of contracts worth a combined $74 million, with Kelsay’s running through the 2010 season and Schobel’s not expiring until 2013. Kelsay’s impact since inking his deal in ’07 has been nothing more than solid, whereas the most telling conclusion about Schobel’s contribution can be found in unheralded backup Ryan Denney’s superior play when he replaced Schobel in the lineup for a stubborn foot injury that cost Schobel the second half of last season.