WhitewalkerInPhilly

I would be ok with it under a very specific set of circumstances: 1) The Bills aren't willing to trade up to ensure they get Geno Smith 2) Geno Smith isn't available at pick #8 (I don't trust Barkley) 3) We decide that the money that it would take to keep on Levitre would be better served by getting 3-4 new free agents in that will immediate gaps at SS, WR and LB 4) Whoever is brought in is an absolute stud in the trenches and would be an immediate starter 5) we take a QB at the first possible opportunity in round 2 This is the only set of conditions where this would seem acceptable, considering the gaping holes we have everywhere else. Other than that, we have a lot of probe

I would argue that Dareus has had his peak performance while he was our nose tackle when he subbed for Williams. But really, we'll see.

I concur with the growing consensus that trading our 1st round pick to the niners is a good idea. For fun, I started working out where I would people in different schemes and I don't know about all the doom and gloom that people have been tracking. First of all, we haven't hit free agency yet. Personally, I'm hoping for Pace at LB and Landry at SS from the Jets, who already know how Pettine's system works. Landry should get paid, and Pace should have a low base, high incentive short term contract since there are only a few more good years. Moore would likely be a relatively affordable renewal for DE/OLB Second, there's Pettine's system to take into account. Pettine has talked about a hybrid 3-4, 4-3 and more recently utilizing a "nickel base", and considering his background this is sounding like a 3-3-5 system, where players are highly interchangeable around the field. Anderson was utilized as a hybrid DE/OLB for the Pats, and Moore would fit into that as well I believe. Another aspect is that Pettine likes his DE's not only to set an edge, but to attack the quarterback, like he did with Ngnata with the Ravens, and like JJ Watt is used by the Texans. Suddenly the front seven looks like this NT: Kyle Williams/Marcell Dareus/Troup DE: Marcell Dareus, Mario Williams, Alex Carrington OLB: Mark Anderson/Kyle Moore/Nigel Bradham ILB: Moats, Sheppard, Morrison Ok, the ILB corps leave much to be desired, but Minter and Teo would be decent second round pick improvements, followed up by a 4th rounder to help with depth That leaves the secondary. A lot of people have suggested that Aaron Williams be moved to safety due to his athleticism and physicality but getting beat in 1 on 1. While he isn't the best fit for SS, I do think he could do well as a NB if that indeed is going to be a base (or very common subpackage). I am somewhat worried about our #2 CB, but it looks like McKelvin is our guy for now (ugh) but there is still time for Rodgers and Brooks to take that away from him. I am still holding out hope for landing Landry, since he would make for a great 1-2 safety punch with Byrd (who we say we are going to franchise) as that open up room for use in the 46 formation. I did a post about that before, but the 46 is a variation of the 3-4 where there there are actually 4 down linemen, with the NT directly on center, the weakside DE (Mario) is in charge of quarterback rushing and breaking up reverses/counter plays, and the SS comes down to act like a linebacker, which would be a perfect fit for the athletic Landry. Am I sitting with a big old pitcher of Kool-Aid as I write this? Yes, with an extra bottle of bourbon but that's beside the point. While things aren't good, we can shuffle our players to minimize the loss of the old, dead weight players and we have the cap space to keep the ones we like, draw in some new ones in FA, and few choice picks in the draft can get us into fighting form (if not elite status) fairly quickly.

I agree. This is a good year to trade down, as once Geno Smith is gone I can't really think of anyone on the draft boards who'd I'd say "YOU HAVE TO TAKE HIM AT #8 FOR CHAMPIONSHIP!!!" While getting Geno Smith to drop to #8 would be like winning the lottery, it also has the odds of winning the lottery and I don't like Barkely enough to take him at #8. It also seems that the Bills feel the same way, as they have made commitments to keep both Fitz and TJax. If you don't feel like anyone is special enough to stay away from those two, getting two more second round picks and their first for our first (and maybe 4th or 5th round) would give us the 31st, 34th, 41st and 61st picks. All those second round gems we keep debating over could be ours. Of course I have serious doubts that Nix would go for it.

I actually think it would likely be the reverse of him being let go. Marrone mentioned in the pre-combine that he puts a lot of stock in face to face interactions, so this speaks to the staff wanting to see what he can do.

I hope so (re: the defense) because I kept looking at our lineup last year and thinking "with all the talent here, they can't possibly be this bad". I just hope that Pettine knows what to do with an extremely talented D-line, Byrd and Gilmore.

Oh come on? What are the chances that there are homosexuals in a group of incredible buff men who are constantly slamming their bodies against each other, taking each other to the ground and slap each other on the ass for a job well done. Wait...

I'm curious, is anyone else getting a vibe that Marrone might be looking at this season and thinking "Well, there's no way we're going to win so let's get rid of the dead wood." ? I mean, as much as I want the Bills to win, and win now, we're talking about a brand new coach who is inheriting a team which tried to put all its eggs in one basket and broke them. From the moves that we've seen so far, I keep thinking that A) Marrone thinks that he knows a great crop of UFA's who he can work with, or castoffs who are going to play beyond their potential or B) our problems are too severe and too numerous to make a winning team with the players here and we need a purging fire and at least two drafts to get back on track. While I want A, I keep feeling like B is more likely. Since Marrone has taken over, we've released McGee, Barnett, and Wilson. We aren't going to bring back the decent, but not exceptional, Jones and Nelson. Ryan Fitzpatrick has not been cut and Tarvaris Jackson has been retained meaning there is no clear cut starter at QB. The upcoming QB selection in the draft does not contain any one QB who seems to be a silver bullet, and the most qualified one (Geno Smith) will likely be taken before the Bills get a chance. There are gaping holes at LB and WR, our CB corps are incredibly inexperienced and our starting TE will likely not be available to play until week 8. The cost of holding both Levitre and Byrd is going to break the bank. Among the cuts we've seen are the players who are in decline and will probably never see the field two seasons from now. We would need every pick we take to become a starter in order to fill all the gaps. I'm still drinking the Kool-Aid, but I need to know if I should mix some whiskey in first...

I wouldn't say that I'm worried. In fact, I'm happy, since it seems that Marrone has been taking an extended look at the talent he has, and the talent that he might be able to obtain in free agency and the draft, and is making plans. Is everything going to be used? Probably not, but I'm happy that he is trying to get stuff down. Eternal optimism...until the season begins. Then the pessimism starts.

During his address to national media, Marrone spoke briefly about how things were coming along. While a lot of it was inevitable dancing around to make sure he didn't give too much away about what he thought about certain players in the draft, I took two points. 1) According to Marrone, the playbook and schemes are 80% done. With a good month before free agency starts. 2) The schemes of the coordinators he brought in are going to be very similar to what they did before they joined the Bills and this is the reason why they were brought on: to limit the time in transition. Maybe I'm drinking the Kool-Aid (I always am) but it seems like there is a plan in place for the first time in years. But of course, I'm just one Kool-Aid drinker...

I only hope that we can get them on the cheap, if we get them at all. To all those people crying "6-10 rejects" I would like to point out that the Jets have had a top 10 defense for the entire time Rex/Pettine were in NY. Their offense has been atrocious, which has cancelled all of that out, but having people who immediately know the scheme is a plus in my book.

Good to hear. I just hope Levitre is out there too.

In all fairness, Nassib has been slowly climbing the rankings on the list. In some cases, even higher than Tyler Wilson, who completely outperformed him during the Senior Bowl. Is it inflation? Is it all speculation leading up to the combine? Yes to both. Either way, he's still not worth a #8 pick, but maybe worth trading back for.

From the chatter I've heard, the draft this year is well stocked with wide receivers. I'd rather us use our FA money at replacing the now gaping hole at LB.

I would be rather happy if we traded back with Saint Louis for their 16th and second round pick, since those seem to have roughly equivalent value. If anything, if we are planning on playing the waiting game to grab a QB in the 2nd round this gives us some maneuvering room to get a shot in on someone early. Of course, does anyone think that SL has any reason to want to trade up?

I'm living in Philly right now, so I got to see a bunch of games with him in it. You have an apt comparison. He isn't bad, but he's not the guy who goes out on Sunday and blows you away. Right now, I'm more excited that the Chiefs possibly taking him would take them out of the running for Geno Smith and help our QB chances down the line when it's our turn.

Answer:...yes? Granted, I hope there's some way that we could get both, but Seacry could probably do as good a job as Wilson but if we're going to have to pick between the two I think you have to go with the talent that you developed on your own. If it's an "either or" I stick with Byrd, but I'm hoping Pettine has some magic.

I am excited to hear it. My one concern is that I fail to understand the appeal of competition where the losers still take up incredible amounts of cap space. Fitz is set to make 10 mil, even if most of his cap space is dead money now, and TJax got 4.5 million. That pretty much undoes all of the money we got back from Barnett, Wilson and McGee.

+1. This. I don't think ANYONE suspects that Corp is going to be a starter. From what the cap reports are saying, Fitz is likely too big of a hit to simply cut, and we're likely to take a QB in the draft. Jackson and Thigpen are gone, and Marrone has zero reason to try to keep them. This is picking up a dirt cheap third stringer.

No, no, no...as it turns out, the existence of Manti T'eo has been a hoax the Notre Dame has created just to screw with everyone. They just had no idea they would have the #1 seed and it would get this elaborate.

For a top end SS? That would likely be the asking price if we went looking for FA.

Can't hurt now that TJack and Thigpen are likely being kicked to the curb.

It's a shame after all the good years, but I was shocked when he wasn't released last year. The cuts continue...

Sounds like a sucker bet to me. I would be absolutely shocked if Geno Smith made it past 10, especially considering that even if the Chiefs, Cardinals and Eagles let him to drop to us, and then WE pass, I doubt the Jets would.

I think we should be more worried about the Chiefs taking him. I don't think there's a chance in hell that he falls past the Chiefs, Raiders AND Cardinals (who have QB problems worse than ours). The Eagles MAY want to pick up a new QB as well. The only team which (as far as I know) isn't in desperate need are the Lions, who pick at 5 and anyone below us will have a lot better pick leverage. Remember the high cost of getting RGIII? If Smith falls to 8, great. If not, I think Wilson is a great choice.