Punch

Modrak wanted Cushing and Nix was on record as having wanted Orakpo. Of all the guys mentioned as possibly going to the Bills at that spot, the only one I absolutely did not want is Maybin. But we're stuck with him, for the moment. Wishin', hopin', prayin' that he may one day pan out. Another unicorn in the stable when what we need are horses.

I can't see the Patsies paying Jackson. But, there is at least one big difference between the two: Randy Moss is 33 years old and Vincent Jackson is only 27. The Patriots are always looking to the future and that 6 year gap is a pretty big one. Plus, I think Moss was a much bigger question mark at the time New England traded for him than Jackson is now, and another team's headache is always more palatable than your own.

Levitre played tackle in college and also played quite a bit at both LT and RT due to injuries last year, but he may not be suited for the RT spot, fulltime--- at least that's what the consensus opinion seems to be. Urbik has very little game experience, but Cordero Howard has looked good to my eyes at both tackle positions and inside as well in spot duty. I'm surprised Wang is practicing at guard--- I thought one of the knocks on him is that due to his athleticism and lack of real bulk/strength he is really only seen to fit in at LT. Regardless, I fully expect changes to be made as they have alluded to doing so all along as the season progresses, and the Trent release and Marshawn trade have made it evident nothing is set in stone.

He is so young for an NFL player that his body has not yet gotten up to speed, physically. It's the only reason I'm holding out hope, at this point. His maturity is an issue, however, and I'm not thinking so much about off the field stuff. His propensity to ignore his responsibilities in the run game and pass coverage and not properly read the QB is something that may improve over time but it's also possible he's just not capable of it. It's not unlike a QB that cannot read defenses. Considering the need to be patient with so many other facets of this team, Maybin has the time to prove one way or another if he can grow into an NFL player.

The contract details may not be as obscene as it appears at first glance. This article from the paper of record, the Niagara Falls Gazette, made me feel simultaneously better and worse about the Kelsay extension: http://niagara-gazette.com/buffalo-bills/x1864897670/An-endorsement-of-losing-by-extension Other than that, I got nothing.

It's Charles Romes in the pic, a pretty good DB for the Bills in the late '70s-mid '80s. It was one of my favorite Bills football cards as a kid in the golden '80s. Gailey's assistant hires are pretty par for the course seeing that they are longtime colleagues of his--- that's usually how it goes, but it's always disheartening when they are not of a very high caliber as now appears the case. If you remember, though, it was thought that he didn't exactly have the pick of the litter when he was hired. I think he tried to get Mike Nolan as D coordinator but I may be misremembering. Gregg Williams was a strange case where the GM (Donahoe, of course) was responsible for bringing in a number of the assistants, which is how we wound up with Dick Lebeau as our, like, 3rd in command on defense. It wouldn't be crazy if other coaches were eventually brought it, maybe next year. Turnover happens.

I loved BeastMode early on... but I wouldn't be shocked if he were out of the league sooner rather than later.

He coached at North Carolina or NC State, right? He definitely sounds intelligent when discussing the intricacies of the game. I love listening to Joe D. As far as the Bills not hiring him, I think the head coach is more often than not responsible for the assistant hires. Even if the organization was open to it, the coach would need to agree.

I'm not debating the merits of the majority of your post, as I don't necessarily disagree, but on this one point concerning the "countless experienced offensive line coaches to choose from"--- name them.

WGR mentioned it as having come from an Indianapolis radio station. It seemed plausible (a potential trade relationship) considering we traded McCargo to the Colts and also that Kyle Williams is not exactly a household name, but it may only be a rumor.

Entertaining and informative--- both in short supply at WGR! He actually knows of what he speaks, whereas 550 comes off more like children flailing and writhing for attention.

"Shoptalk with the Lapdog"? That's hilarious.

It's only speculation but I would hope that the hiring of Doug Whaley as Assistant GM (while his name is always mentioned as a potential GM whenever the topic is brought up) means he is actually part of some kind of succession plan to replace Nix. Buddy cannot possibly stay around for much longer than 2 or 3 seasons and it would be pretty negligent of the organization to not plan for the future--- then again, it's the Bills. When was the last time their front office was handled responsibly?

Bill Walsh was 2-14 his first year in San Fran. I would think it's fairly common with teams that are essentially starting over. There's basically zero chance Nix fires Gailey though, right? Aren't they on the same page at this point? It's entirely possible Ralph makes an ill advised move out of desperation, though.

Who's trading Kyle Williams? No one in this thread suggested it but everyone is commenting that they wouldn't do it.

Hmmmm, sounds like a potential rationale for keeping Kelsay around?

Absolutely. And I, unlike a lot of others at TSW, don't hate our 2010 draft class. Unfortunately, the defensive players were brought in with an expectation to transition to different responsibilities altogether, which is secondary to the already difficult transition from college to the NFL. Also unfortunate, is the injury time lost for Ed Wang and the IR tags placed on Easley and Batten. Other than Spiller the picks I was most excited to see in action were Easley and Danny Batten. Marcus Easley is an athletic wonder at the wide receiver position; if he had another year of starting college experience he would've likely gone in the 2nd round. I've said it before: a highly regarded "up and comer" like Doug Whaley would not have left the most stable and successful organization in pro sports for a train wreck in Buffalo... Nix knows what he's doing, and I agree with you 100%, the more picks the better. For the first time in a long time the people making the calls know what they're doing. Unfortunately, it's going to look worse before it actually gets any better.

I wouldn't hate it, but a lot of people would. After all, Stroud was acquired for a 3rd and a 5th. But that's how trades are in the NFL, and the mileage accrued for each player factors in, heavily. FWIW, I think Donte is serviceable enough for the time being and may even improve with a better front seven. But he's looked pretty bad at times (including this past Sunday) in run support which is supposed to be a strength, and has never been a playmaker of any kind. If the Bills had a bunch of 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths those can be used to move up in other rounds. That's their true value.

To go along with this assessment, how did the Saints acquire these players? They were not all drafted by the Saints; ie, Brees and Greer were free agents, et al.

Welcome back, dude.

Apparently the Colts have inquired about both Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams. Perhaps a combination of Stroud and Whitner would fetch a 3rd and something like a 6th or 7th, but that's about it I'd gather.

I bet Spiller's contributions will not at all increase now that Lynch has been traded. I'm sure the move was not made with this in mind.

fixed Just kidding around! Typos and grammar issues should be totally acceptable on a message board, of all places. People like to feel smart.

The last time the Bills made a move within the division was when they traded a 1st round pick to New England for Drew Bledsoe...

Free is starting for Dallas because they need someone to start. The fact that Demetrius Bell is starting at LT for 2 years though he was drafted in the 7th round is a similar depth chart promotion of necessity rather than drafting genius. The Cowboys line is not very good, and it's arguable to what degree the Bills line is actually worse. But I do get your point, however, when the Bills haven't been able to successfully hit on their 1st round picks the fact that they have also not hit on their 4th round picks is negligible.