<a class="bbc_url" href='http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2014/5/9/5699834/2014-nfl-draft-trade-rumors-buffalo-bills-jacksonville-jaguars'>http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2014/5/9/5699834/2014-nfl-draft-trade-rumors-buffalo-bills-jacksonville-jaguars</a>

I ask Dave Caldwell point blank if Buffalo made the same offer to Jacksonville that they did to Cleveland...


— Mike Dempsey (@md_1010xl) May 9, 2014


... He said no. They contacted them in the days leading up to the draft but we're very vague and never made any concrete offer.

The Jags did receive some interest from Atlanta but Caldwell decided against trading with how the draft played out.

@md_1010xl Dave Caldwell also told me that ATL was interested in moving up but he told them if it went Clowney-Robinson the Jags were not moving down.

<a class="bbc_url" href='https://twitter.com/md_1010xl/status/464806536624484353'>https://twitter.com/md_1010xl/status/464806536624484353</a>

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot."

SMH.  Dave Caldwell is terrible.  Never even forced Buffalo to give him more details on the trade.  

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

SMH.  Dave Caldwell is terrible.  Never even forced Buffalo to give him more details on the trade.  

Short of flying to Buffalo and holding their staff at gunpoint, there wasn't much way to "force" the Bills to divulge the information. Here's a scenario that seems entirely likely: the Bills had a hunch that the Jaguars liked Watkins, but didn't have the ammo to jump up to the second pick and weren't willing to totally gut next year's draft for it. After the Jaguars passed on Watkins, they called Cleveland to make good on a deal they'd worked out earlier for the fourth overall pick, jumping the Raiders who they had a pretty strong feeling were going to take Watkins.

 

The trade was a raw deal for the Bills imo, who will soon find out that without a competent QB throwing the ball, even a receiving corps of Randy Moss, Megatron and Jerry Rice would have a hard time making a difference. If Watkins doesn't show up in a big way and the Bills aren't still in the playoff hunt late in the year, I wouldn't be surprised to see the GM and coach gone.

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Short of flying to Buffalo and holding their staff at gunpoint, there wasn't much way to "force" the Bills to divulge the information. Here's a scenario that seems entirely likely: the Bills had a hunch that the Jaguars liked Watkins, but didn't have the ammo to jump up to the second pick and weren't willing to totally gut next year's draft for it. After the Jaguars passed on Watkins, they called Cleveland to make good on a deal they'd worked out earlier for the fourth overall pick, jumping the Raiders who they had a pretty strong feeling were going to take Watkins.

 

The trade was a raw deal for the Bills imo, who will soon find out that without a competent QB throwing the ball, even a receiving corps of Randy Moss, Megatron and Jerry Rice would have a hard time making a difference. If Watkins doesn't show up in a big way and the Bills aren't still in the playoff hunt late in the year, I wouldn't be surprised to see the GM and coach gone.

 

I was being facetious.  It's my schtick I guess?

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

I was being facetious.  It's my schtick I guess?

I was wondering what had gotten into you. That post didn't sound like you at all. Was afraid you'd been bitten by the Boozeball bug in your sleep.

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This is good stuff.  The whine brigade is going to have to digest the fact that Buffalo didn't make a serious offer.  I'm sure they'll find a way to spin this.  Give them a day or two.  We're not dealing with the smartest folk here.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

This is good stuff.  The whine brigade is going to have to digest the fact that Buffalo didn't make a serious offer.  I'm sure they'll find a way to spin this.  Give them a day or two.  We're not dealing with the smartest folk here.

"We didn't try hard enough. If Cleveland talked them into that offer, Caldwell should have been able to as well. #becauseJaguars"

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I'm disappointed that if ATL wanted to trade, we did not do so..

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Meh, Jacksonville believes Bortles will be great. If he is what they believe him to be, he will be more worthwhile than what Buffalo would have coughed up.

 

It's now clear that Jacksonville wouldn't have let Bortles go willingly regardless of what ever they were offered. They were only considering trading for the circumstance that Bortles was stolen in the top 2 picks.

 

Can we just back off and respect that? If Bortles turns out to be what Caldwell envisions him to be, it'll be worth it.

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I'm disappointed that if ATL wanted to trade, we did not do so..

 

Pretty much my thoughts, summed up. I think there was a real fear that Cle/Oak would have nabbed Bortles though.

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LEONARD FOURNETTE FAN CLUB PRESIDENT. I WAS BEHIND HIM WHEN YOU ALL SAID HE WAS BRANDON JACOBS. QUIT HATING ON THE JAGUARS. GUS IS GONE. COUGHLIN HAS RESTORED ORDER. FOURNETTE IS FRED TAYLOR. DONT BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH.

I'm disappointed that if ATL wanted to trade, we did not do so..

Would an extra 4th round pick be worth the risk of loosing out on your franchise QB?

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot."

Actually I've got a theory...

 

The Browns are so bad at drafting in the 1st round, that teams are willing to give their 1st rounders to them.  It'd explain a lot.  The Colts trading a 1st for Richardson.  The Bills trading a 1st to get Watkins.

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

Actually I've got a theory...

 

The Browns are so bad at drafting in the 1st round, that teams are willing to give their 1st rounders to them.  It'd explain a lot.  The Colts trading a 1st for Richardson.  The Bills trading a 1st to get Watkins.

Well, that's certainly a theory. 

 

The colts ended up on the short end of that deal no matter what.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

The post is very insightful.  It tells us that Caldwell considered Bortles head and shoulders above Manziel and Bridgewater. 

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The post is very insightful.  It tells us that Caldwell considered Bortles head and shoulders above Manziel and Bridgewater. 

 

He was the #1 player on their board.

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LEONARD FOURNETTE FAN CLUB PRESIDENT. I WAS BEHIND HIM WHEN YOU ALL SAID HE WAS BRANDON JACOBS. QUIT HATING ON THE JAGUARS. GUS IS GONE. COUGHLIN HAS RESTORED ORDER. FOURNETTE IS FRED TAYLOR. DONT BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH.

Pretty much my thoughts, summed up. I think there was a real fear that Cle/Oak would have nabbed Bortles though.

 

I think that's what it boils down to, and I'm fine with that.  They had identified Bortles as a franchise QB.  You don't trade away from that if you really think there's a risk you won't get him. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

I think that's what it boils down to, and I'm fine with that.  They had identified Bortles as a franchise QB.  You don't trade away from that if you really think there's a risk you won't get him. 

 

We will see. I still think the best move would have been Watkins at 3 and trading into the Seattle slot for TB, but time will tell.

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LEONARD FOURNETTE FAN CLUB PRESIDENT. I WAS BEHIND HIM WHEN YOU ALL SAID HE WAS BRANDON JACOBS. QUIT HATING ON THE JAGUARS. GUS IS GONE. COUGHLIN HAS RESTORED ORDER. FOURNETTE IS FRED TAYLOR. DONT BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH.

The post is very insightful.  It tells us that Caldwell considered Bortles head and shoulders above Manziel and Bridgewater. 

 

Makes sense, since you don't turn away a franchise QB if you need one.

 

That also implies Manziel and Bridgewater weren't seen as franchise QBs, or at least carried significant risk that put them well out of Bortles league in their eyes.

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"You do your own thing in your own time. You should be proud."

We will see. I still think the best move would have been Watkins at 3 and trading into the Seattle slot for TB, but time will tell.

 

If you have Watkins and a guy you see as a franchise level QB on the board when you're picking, you draft the QB.  This draft is plenty deep for receivers.  Not so much for QBs who can have an impact. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Well that ends it. Everyone knows that only the other team can initiate trade talks.

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"Why should I give information to you when all you want to do is find something wrong with it?"