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Article: “Don Beebe Finds Higher Calling”

[From highschool.rivals.com]

A former NFL wide receiver whose nine-year career was spent with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers, this devout Christian now volunteers his time coaching tiny Aurora (Ill.) Christian High School -– enrollment 376 -– because of his faith.

In nine NFL seasons, Beebe caught 219 passes for 3,416 yards and 23 TDs.

“There’s no money involved,” Beebe said. “It’s my calling. I felt God calling me to coach kids.”

When former Bills coach and current general manager Marv Levy asked Beebe to join Buffalo’s coaching staff in 2006, Beebe immediately turned him down to remain with Aurora Christian.

“Why do something just for money?” Beebe said. “My passion is here and with these kids.”

In four seasons as head coach, Beebe transformed a struggling program into a Class 3A state power by setting examples and building traditions.

He maintains heart outweighs talent.

Read more…

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Bills History Current Bills Players

Are The Bills Better Off Without Losman?

With the NFL trade deadline fast approaching, some have suggested (even starting right here with Your Truly of the Buffalo Bills Review) that the Bills should trade JP Losman while they still can. Losman is under contract with the Bills through the end of the 2008 season. That means this season is very likely his “contract” year. His play in 2007 will determine the value of his next contract with Buffalo—or if he is even offered one.

Is it just crazy talk to be suggesting the Bills dump a guy whom they have developed for four years now? This was to be his “breakout” season. He was injured on the first play of the third game this year, so we only saw him play in two games, but it would certainly not qualify as a “breakout season”.

In an article following Trent Edwards first start, I echoed the sentiments of Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News when I declared that game the beginning of the Trent Edwards Era. Of course that is premature, but I saw in one game what I have been wanting to see for three years from Losman. I have never been a JP basher. If you had to label me, I would likely fall in the “JP Supporter” camp. I do see the upside of Losman.

But in all of two starts I have seen way more upside from Trent Edwards. Poise, confidence, composure, quick release, quick decision making, accuracy, arm strength… I’d say on all but the last one Edwards possesses at least a slight edge over Losman. The main difference between the two is Losman’s 30-plus NFL games to Edwards three. But so far that difference only appears to matter on paper.

Benefits of a Trade
I know trades don’t happen that often in the NFL. They are especially rare during the season. However, let’s look at some positives of moving JP Losman right now.

  • Contract:
    The Bills will be making a decision this year whether or not to extend Losman’s contract. Has he shown enough in his four years here to warrant an extension? Maybe the Bills are asking themselves right now, “Has Edwards shown us enough in just three games?” It makes sense to make a move now, if they are going to do it inevitably anyway.

    I think the Bills know what they are going to do with him. They know whether they will offer him an extension, or not. If they shop him around, and find a buyer now, they can get something in return. Not sure that happens in the off-season.

  • Controversy:
    Buffalo has had way too many QB controversies since Jim Kelly retired. Flutie/Johnson, Bledsoe/Flutie, Bledsoe/Losman, Losman/Holcomb, and now the playoff-starved fans are sensing another following the excellent play from rookie Trent Edwards. Losman has never won the hearts of Buffalo fans. Not that they hate the kid, mind you. He’s just never completely won the city over. Enter Edwards. Enter controversy.

    A swift and immediate trade would end said controversy. Trent Edwards has looked more than competent at the helm of the Bills ship. Without the option of going to Losman, there would be no QB controversy. There would be no distraction for the rest of the team.

  • There is a Need:
    I was joking a week or two ago about Atlanta needing a QB (because of how awful Joey Harrington is) but now there are even more desperate teams to talk to. Desperate enough to bring in 43-year-old QB Vinny Testaverde in Carolina! Miami, Carolina, St. Louis, and others are all hurting for a good QB. JP has the physical talent to be that, which earned him his status as a first-round selection in the 2004 draft. Desperate teams may be willing to offer something for Losman based on his potential, despite his track record as a Bills starter.
  • Do it for JP:
    As I stated above, Losman has never won the hearts of this city. He is a likable guy, and I think he is well liked in the locker room. But from what I have heard—and just my opinion from observing Edwards’ play—there is more reason for confidence in Edwards as the QB than anything we’ve seen from Losman in his entire career here in Buffalo. Sometimes it’s just good to move on. With a year left on his contract, JP needs to make a good showing, and perhaps with the QB shortage, trading him allows him to do just that, while offering the Bills some compensation for him. (Maybe more than they might get otherwise, since there is an immediate need on several teams.)

So the dilemma for the Bills becomes, do you take a chance on the kid (Edwards), or do you show some loyalty to a guy you have poured four years of development into, who also wears the big C on his jersey. Doesn’t that mean something, too? He is one of the six captains of the 2007 Buffalo Bills. That has to count for something.

And I believe that is what Dick Jauron thinks as well.

My opinion is that the right move for the Bills—and for JP Losman—is to move him right now. There should be some willing takers, even in exchange for only a draft pick. (The way the Bills have been drafting the past two seasons, that could be a very valuable pick!) If Edwards is the guy, there’s no reason not to.

That said, more than likely we will see JP back under center for the game against Baltimore, and then the NY Jets, and then I am not sure what will happen. If Losman plays up to his full potential, he keeps his job, and the Bills do have a QB “controversy” on their hands. If he’s mediocre or worse, he rides the pine the rest of the year as the Bills develop Edwards.

The Bills have until October 16th to decide. My vote is to let the Edwards era begin.

We’ll have to wait and see how Levy and Jauron vote.

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Bills History Players

1988

I posted this as a thread at the Buffalo Bills Message Boards… but thought it might be worth posting here as well. Comments welcome here, but you can also just join the conversation (if there will be one) at the Bills website.

My first year as a Bills fan (had just moved to Buffalo area one year prior) I got to see a pretty amazing rookie running back rack up 880 yards rushing. Not the magic number 1000, but still decent. Good thing was, he had some veteran help. Between Jamie Mueller’s pounding, Robb Riddick’s pile-jumping, and Ronnie Harmon’s extremely unorthodox one-handed grip on the ball, the Bills had a pretty nice, full backfield. And they made it work.

Rookie Thurman Thomas was the beneficiary of a complement of RBs.

This year, another amazing rookie dons the Buffalo Bills red white and blue, and he also has a decent group around him. From the pounding of Dwayne Wright (or some of our TE/HBs) to the steadiness of the veteran A-Train… and add either Shaud Williams’ shiftiness, or Fred Jackson’s powerful, determined running to that.

That’s a decent complement of RBs.

I think we might have a similar situation to 1988. Lynch (despite the stats in the pre-season) sure seems to have the talent. Not calling him a Hall-of-Famer just yet, but it’s interesting to note that though Thurman led the team in yards his rookie season, he did not have to carry the full load.

Nor, I think, will Marshawn.

If our behemoth o-line can open some holes… we could see a pretty decent running game in 2007.

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The Thurmanator

Thurman Thomas and Marv Levy at 2007 Hall of Fame Enshrinement
As most (I’d guess ALL) of you know, Thurman Thomas was enshrined at the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH this weekend. His career forever bronzed in a metal representation of his head.

If you got to see him play, you know what an amazing career it was. (I still contend he is the best overall player in the old NES game Tecmo Superbowl…) The guy led the league in yards from scrimmage … several times! You can check out all his stats, but most people who watched him know that it was his determination to win, to overcome, that not only set him apart, but for the span of his career with the Bills, was the mark of the entire team.

Maybe it started with the Thurmanator.

If you click the image above it will open a streaming video in RealPlayer of Thurman’s HOF speech on Aug 4th. But there are many more things at the HOF site, so click on that link below. There’s also a great video up at the Buffalo Bills website, so check that out when you can. Plus, a great article at NFL.com by Vic Carucci.

It’s time to celebrate Thurman, so here are some good ways to do it. (Add any others in the comments below…)

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Bills History Current Bills Hall of Fame NFL

Football Fan, or Buffalo Bills Fan?

I got an e-mail from NFL.com today, promoting the upcoming Hall of Fame inductions. As a Bills fan, you know that Thurman Thomas will be one of those inductees on August 4th. If money were not an issue, I am pretty sure we’d be there. The e-mail that was sent had each player in their uniform as a collage of NFL players for the header of the e-mail. It was neat. Seeing Thurman with that group of great players… just brought back memories.

But one of those players, Bruce Matthews, is shown in a Tennessee Titans uniform. Now, I remember Bruce Matthews. I believe he mostly played for the Houston Oilers, am I correct? I realize that the Houston Oilers moved and are now the Tennessee Titans, but can’t you give the Houston fans something to remember their team by? Yes, they have the Texans now… but come on. Do they even compare? Not yet, they don’t.

That got me thinking about the Bills. Rumors have abounded since I first became a Buffalo Bills fan way back in 1988 that our team “might not be here much longer”. Rumors of moving the team to L.A., to Toronto… and maybe some other places. But for now, the Bills remain in Western New York, and I remain a Big Bills Fan.

But what if Mr. Wilson passes on in the not-too-distant future? I’m sure he’s making some plans… but, you can’t know what will happen when someone else is calling the shots. Will they keep the team in Buffalo? With the new contracts that players are signing, I really don’t see how the Bills can remain a viable franchise in this region. (Note. I am no financial wizard. So, take my “business sense” with a grain of salt…) I do know that as player price tags rise, the only way to compensate is to charge more money. Who mostly gets charged? Western New Yorkers. Bills fans.

If nothing changes, and the Bills get moved to a larger market to survive, what will you do Bills fan? Will you continue to follow the team? (Any Clippers fans out there still?) Or will you root for the Browns, the Steelers, or whatever team (if not the Bills) shows up just north of the border?

I have to say that if no team were here in Buffalo… I might follow them in whatever town they were moved to for a year, maybe two. But, I really don’t think I would continue very long. I am a BUFFALO Bills fan. I am (sorry NFL) not an NFL football fan. Yes, I like football, but my allegience is to my team here in my area. I really don’t care much at all about any other team. Ask my wife. She’s the one watching the other games on weekends, while I find something else to do around the house.

What would you do if the Bills left town, and 10 years down the road they are still inducting members of those Buffalo Super Bowl teams into the NFL Hall of Fame, but instead they are shown as Toronto Loons, or Los Angeles Gang Members? “This year’s Hall of Fame class includes Steve Tasker, from the Toronto Loons.” Ouch.

No, Bills fans, I’m sad to say it… if the Bills ever left town, I would quickly forget about the NFL. I would move on to other things. (There actually is more to life than football, though with only nine days to training camp… it’s hard to remember that!) I just wouldn’t care if the NFL did not have a team in my area.

So listen up, NFL. If you want fans from this area… don’t expect us to root for our Bills if they are based in Toronto. Don’t certainly don’t expect us to latch on to the Browns, Steelers, Jets, or Giants. We’re Bills fans. BUFFALO Bills fans. I know I am. And forever shall be.

Go BILLS!

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Bills History Current Bills

Bills (With Marv) Build Through The Draft

I have been slightly amused lately hearing all of the “experts” (and I do use that term loosely) proclaiming that Buffalo is one of (if not THE) biggest losers in this year’s free agency so far. They throw out the big names of the players who have moved on, whether by their choice or the Bills’ decision makers. McGahee, Clements, Fletcher, Spikes, and the list goes on. And perhaps there is some merit to the claim that we have not “done well” in free agency… but maybe the Bills aren’t playing that game.

I don’t pretend to know what goes on in that well-aged head of our General Manager, but I gotta think he’s got a plan. Obviously we have all seen that part of the plan is to pretty much refresh the entire team, as there was a good deal of player turnover last season, and there will be again this season. But what else is going on up there, Marv?

I was thinking recently about how Marv came to the Bills in mid-1986, and the Bills didn’t win a division until 1988. So, it took Marv just a season and a half to get to the division crown. Even got to the AFC championship in 1988. Not bad.

For kicks today I did a little Buffalo Bills draft research. Now I skipped ahead past the “Bickering Bills” of 1989, and just focused on their 1990 roster… the one that got us to our first Super Bowl. On our Super Bowl roster were 23 players that we drafted, and only 8 of those were “pre-Marv”. Now, obviously, Marv had a different role then, but check out our current roster. The current roster holds 24 players drafted by the Bills, and 14 of those are “pre-Marv”. So, in one year, Marv has added 10 players to the roster that he drafted. (Yes… I cheated. Peerless Price was drafted by the Bills in 1999, but Marv brought him back, so…) 🙂

What it seems like from my vantage point is that Marv likes to build a team from the ground up. Just as Shaw said on his blog earlier, football teams full of flashy guys do not always produce the championship teams. We were spoiled in the 1990s in this town by having a team that was very team-oriented, and yet filled with super stars. And most of those we had acquired through the draft.

Do you seasoned Bills fans recall the reaction to Marv’s drafts in those days? I was a new football fan, but I knew enough that we “should” be drafting the best guys from college. I remember wanting us to draft Raghib Ishmail (I forget how to spell his name though…) and other big name guys. “Who ARE these guys???” I would ask when I saw names like Phil Hansen and Don Beebe and other guys from small schools like… Kutztown State? (Andre Reed’s alma mater). Marv has a history of building a team of “unknowns”.

Go back to the previous article I posted… about the similarities (perhaps) between the Bills and the Sabres. The Sabres came out of relative anonymity to be the top team in the NHL right now – mostly with up-and-coming young stars, not seasoned veterans. Perhaps the Bills are doing the same as they trim away at the older (more recognizeable) names on the roster, and invest in players who might be the next set of recognizeable names. Who knows if in the next couple years, folks might know the names Losman, Evans, Whitner, Ellison, Youboty, etc, just the same as Spikes, Fletcher, Clements, McGahee, Moulds, et. al.

The Bills definitely seem to be putting a lot more faith in the next generation of players than going out and hiring the “current” generation via free agency. I’m pretty sure we’ll nab some gems in the 2007 draft as well, given Marv’s track record.

Is that way of building a team still possible? Marv and Co. did a great job last year – every player we drafted made the team, and most made contributions. Can he do it again? Will we find players in the draft who can take us back to the playoffs… to winning our division… to dare I say it… THE SUPER BOWL?

It’s impossible to know for sure, but I do know Marv has a plan. Free agency seems to keep you from building a team slowly through the draft, because any good players you land in the draft are gone in 5 years. It’s almost like college football with the possible turnover from all your players graduating after 4 or 5 years. I don’t think that’s the best thing for football fans or teams, but it might be good for the players. And somehow… other teams are still winning the Super Bowl… so it can be done! 🙂

I think we’ll probably be shocked again by Marv’s Draft Day shennanigans. Everyone will be aghast at the horribly unknown players filling up our draft roster. But Marv did OK last season, and I suspect he will again this year.

We’re building a team here, and I really do look forward to watching the “experts” eat crow later in the 2007 season as the “surprising” Buffalo Bills are in playoff contention, and maybe even in contention for the AFC East crown? I don’t think we’re ready to win it all, but this team is going to do a lot better than “the experts” are seeing.

At least, that’s my expert opinion. 🙂