Will he or won’t he: Bill’s offseason hinges on Price’s plans

By Shawn Krest

The Bills’ offseason game plan seems to be a bit of a role reversal. For the porous defense, the team will go on the offensive, aggressively looking to add free-agent talent. Meanwhile, the offense will be busy playing defense, trying to keep one of its big-play stars.

It all starts with Peerless Price. The talk of the offseason has been whether the team will be able to fit him under the cap. The answer is easy—Buffalo has more than enough cap room to keep Price, and has a franchise tag available that would insure that Peerless would spend at least one more season in the Ralph.

The real issues are a lot trickier. Will the team keep him? Do they even want to? Should they? And does Price want to be kept? Everyone is busy searching for signs out of One Bills Drive, and we’re no different. Our best guess is that all four questions have the same answer: No.

Price will be catching passes as a number one receiver, for number one money, next year. The Bills, in our opinion, have been fairly sure of that for about a year, and have been taking steps for the post-Peerless era. Despite the talk radio criticism that will result from Price in a Falcons’ or Ravens’ uniform, the team will be making the right decision.

The drafting of Josh Reed last spring was the first big clue that the Bills were not willing to pay Price what he’s earned. And while a second-year Reed won’t be as good as the 2002-model Peerless, with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, he doesn’t have to be. Bledsoe has made a career of making stars out of receivers with less talent than Reed.

Michael Timpson, Vincent Brisby, Ben Coates, and Shawn Jefferson were all much better with Bledsoe than without him. And none of them had a player the caliber of Eric Moulds drawing defenders on the other side. For more evidence, just look at the Patriots’ first draft of the Tom Brady era. New England picked a pass-catching tight end in the first round, a receiver in the second. Half of their draft picks were spent on the two positions. The message was clear—a switch from Bledsoe to Brady requires an upgrade in receiving talent.

Price isn’t the only Bills free agent. Of those that remain, running back Sammy Morris, defensive lineman Chidi Ahanotu, and kicker Mike Hollis are good bets to return. With pressing needs on defense, the team will probably keep fullback Philip Crosby, rather than upgrading the position.

Injured running back Shawn Bryson, late-season pickup, linebacker Greg Favors, and seldom-used receiver, Charles Johnson, will probably not get better offers elsewhere and are 50-50 to return. Linebacker, Keith Newman, was all but out the door at season’s end, but with the shakeup on the defensive coaching staff, perhaps cooler heads will prevail. Newman has too much talent to be producing at the low level of the past two seasons. Maybe Dick Lebeau will be able to create a new role for Newman. The likelihood is, however, that Newman will leave, as will kick-returner, Charles Rogers.

After making decisions on their own players, the Bills will look to fill holes on the open market. The team needs a tight end, third receiver, and possibly a fullback on offense. The defense needs a little of everything. Even areas of strength, such as cornerback, could use some depth. In order, the team will try to add a linebacker, defensive lineman (tackle or end), safety, and nickel corner.

If the team doesn’t keep Crosby, Cincinnati’s Nicolas Luchey, is a low-priced option. Receiving talent includes two Titans, always a favorite shopping spot of coach Gregg Williams, in Chris Sanders and Kevin Dyson. Former Eagles Antonio Freeman and Dameane Douglas are also possibilities. Also keep an eye on Panther Isaac Byrd and Arizona’s MarTay Jenkins, who could also serve as a special teams replacement for Rogers.

Pittsburgh is the apple of Tom Donahoe’s eye, and the Steelers have three tight ends on the market in Jerame Tuman, Marco Battaglia and John Allred. If the team doesn’t snatch one of those three, look across Pennsylvania at Philly’s Jeff Thomason.

Enough picking through the bargain bin for second-teamers—on to the defense, where the Bills will be shopping for starters. Green Bay’s Vonnie Holliday and Cletidus Hunt would solve Buffalo’s problems at end and tackle, respectively. A reasonable goal would be to land one. Eagle Hugh Douglas would be the next best end, followed by, in no particular order, Atlanta’s John Thierry, Dallas’ Peppi Zellner, and Carolina’s Fernando Smith.

The tackle pool gets shallow fast. Most of the big names are past their prime, but possible targets include Viking Darius Holland, Cowboy Brandon Noble, Titan John Thornton, and Ram Jeff Zgonina.

If the Bills manage to land one of the Packers or Douglas, the next big signing will be at linebacker. Bengal Takeo Spikes is the top choice, but most of the league is thinking the same way. The team has been looking at Chicago’s Roosevelt Colvin, who has some injury history. Moving down the list, Seahawk Anthony Simmons, Eagles Barry Gardner and Shawn Barber, Raven Cornell Brown, and former Bill Jay Foreman would be welcome additions at the position.

Donovin Darius of Jacksonville might be a possible addition at safety, where the team could use depth. Free agent corners look like a shallow pool, so the team is more likely to add depth via the draft.

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