FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:

FROM DICK JAURON... “Our relationship will grow from when we met in my office this weekend. That's where our relationship started, and it'll develop from there," Jauron said in his first comments since the Bills signed (Terrell) Owens to a one-year contract Saturday. "I approach every guy that comes here as a unique guy."

Good to hear Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron expressing his thoughts about the addition of Terrell Owens to the Bills.  His words are not a ringing endorsement of the move, but at least he expressed an open and honest way of dealing with the player.

This is the right way to approach a new player.  The player is already on the team, so there’s no sense critiquing the move now. It just makes sense to make the best of the situation.  Jauron is a very good person; he is straightforward and tolerant and sympathetic to the players, having been one.  Therefore, he’s at least willing to try to make this work, and that’s the first step to a positive relationship. 

If Jauron takes any other approach, he will lose the team since it’s clear Owens’ new teammates seem genuinely happy to have him on board.  Part of being the leader means you show a sense of trust in the players.  Let the players know you’ll be consistent and they’ll trust you.  I applaud the approach Jauron is taking; it’s his only course of action. 

FROM JUSTIN TUCK... "Who knew our D-line needed that much re-hauling? Maybe I was a little surprised that we didn't try to rectify some other things before going to the D-line," Tuck said. "Obviously, we did need some help on the D-line because we got beat up and worn down at the end of the year. Jerry [Reese, the Giants' general manager] knows exactly what he is doing and he's proven he's pretty good in the draft.  Hopefully, we can get some secondary help, a couple of extra linebackers, and we have some offensive needs that I'm sure he's looking at also."

I agree with Tuck. When in doubt, put your big dollars in the defensive line.  I’m surprised other teams that have good defensive lines but could make them stronger were not active in chasing Chris Canty or Rocky Bernard.  The Bears (and I am sure there are others) come to mind as a team with an abundance of cap room, but they probably felt they were doing well with their defensive line.  They finished with 28 sacks, tied for 22nd in the NFL.  They did get 21.5 of their sacks from their defensive line, so maybe if they were a little deeper and fresher they might have had more.  The Bears had only 11 sacks on third down all year, which doesn’t make you a good third down team.  I know they have some strength in their defensive line, but they could have made it stronger had they gone for more talent and taken the Giants’ approach.  When you have that much cap room, it makes sense to spend the money on good players and not worry as much about the depth chart.  It’s funny, but in the draft, which is all about money, everyone preaches the “pick- the-best-player” theory constantly. But when it comes to free agency, it’s all about needs on the depth chart.  Doesn’t make sense to me, yet what the Giants did makes all the sense in the world.