auburnbillsbacker

We did have multiple offers. The broncos offered the 14th overall, the 36th overall, and a 4th for our 8th. The Vikings and Eagles also made offers, it was never reported what they offered. The Eagles wanted Bunkley, who they drafted. I hope a qb falls so that we can get a good offer to trade down. If a Rajj or Crabtree falls, the bills should stay and count their blessing that an elite talent fell to them.

Hardy was the #1 wr on a couple of teams draft boards. It was common knowledge that the Vikings and Bucs had him as the best wide out, and would have selected him if other guys were not there. Other teams of course did not have him #1, which gives your point some validity.

Pettigrew could definitly be gone, but way gone, I don't know. It is difficult to predict when tight ends will be taken. I remember the year we drafted McGahee, I thought the bills were going to select Whitten. Whitten then proceeded to fall to the 3rd round. On the other hand, last year I thought there would definitly be a top tight end prospect available in the 3rd. When the run started however, the top prospect were all gone. Even teams with good tight ends like on Washington drafted tight ends early last year.

Most people believe that the bills need a tight end, and it would be nice. I am beginning to wonder however, if any receiver would work. Let's say a top rated wr falls to buffalo in rounds 2 or 3. Or what if the bills love Harvin in round 1.

I agree with this for the most part. If the bills like him it does not matter what Kirwain thinks. The point of the post however, is that Pettigrew's stock is dropping, so what does that mean for the Buffalo Bills. It could be an opportunity. I have always liked Kirwain's thoughts. He does a ton of research, and is in touch with so many people through his radio show.

I think that is why there is no way we trade up this year. As posted earlier, I am not sure if we will be able to trade down, but if the opportunity is there the bills could really improve. If the bills were to obtain and extra 3rd, they could address line, te, lb, and de.

In Pat Kirwain's most recent mock draft, he has Pettigrew falling to the bills in round 2. I' m not sure if that will happen, but it does mean the tight end is not an option at number 11. Trading down is a possibility, but most teams would like to trade down, and finding a partner could be difficult. I think the bills should go either defensive end (maybe Brown or Maybin) or lb in round 1. The question is what do we do in round 2. Do the bills maintain their position, and take the best player available. Or should the bills trade up to the late first or early second and target Pettigrew? I say they stand pat. Even if Pettigrew is gone, one of the other top ends or interior lineman will be there.

It seems like it is very likely that Pettigrew will fall out of the first round. Kirwain, Ryan and many others have noted that there is not much buzz about Pettigrew. They think he is too slow to be a huge impact in the passing game. The guy that I would love to see the bills draft is Maybin, but after his pro day, I think he will be gone by 11. So at this stage, I am lost as to what the bills should do.

I think Stafford could negotiate for less than the 72 million Ryan received last year. If he does not go one, he could drop several picks. That would mean a smaller contract. If my assessment is correct, the lions are smart negotiating with several prospects, even if they have a player in mind. It could mean they get the player they want for cheaper.

This thread could turn into that. My point of making the thread however, was to prove that evaluating talent is difficult to do. For example, I wanted Vernon Davis on 2006. I also thought it would be better than the gossip that has occured recently.

I wish the bills traded down in 2006. Denver offered the 14th overall pick, the 4th pick of the 2nd round, and a 4th. Whitner would have still been there at 14, and maybe with the 4th pick of the 2nd, the bills would have not felt the need to trade back into the first.

The board has been very critical of the bills recently. So I began to wonder if the bills would be better off if I made their first round pick the last three years. I listed who I wanted the bills to draft each year and would like to see others do the same. 2006: I was hoping V. Davis would fall, but would have taken Bunkley at 8. At this point Bunkley vs. Whitner is an interesting debate. Vernon would have been horrible. 2007: I was hoping for Willis, but would have taken Reevis. Once again, I am not sure the bills would be better off with Reevis over Lynch. 2008: I was hoping for Leodis, and the bills agreed.

I think some of the players above have the opportunity to become average nfl starters. Of all the players mentioned, I feel Fine is the most ready to help the bills next year. He is ok at blocking and as a receiver. If the right te is available, either in the draft or through a trade, the bills should not hesitate to bring them on board. A lot of teams utilize mulitple tes. Last year Dallas selected a te in round 2 with Whiten on the roster. The Patriots selected 1st round tes in back to back years. The Redskins drafted a te in the 2nd with Cooley on the roster. Bell in an interesting prospect, but I think the bills prefer chambers at this point. I do not trust either guys at this point, so I hope the bills draft an interior lineman in the 1st four rounds. Bell could eventually emerge, but still needs more time. Steve Johnson has played great for a 7th round pick, but that does not mean he is a great player. If the highest rated player in a given round is a wr, Johnson would not make me go in a different direction. It is possible Ellis will be ok, but I haven't seen is so far. If Maybin is availabe at 11, the bills should run the cards up to the podium. I have no faith in McCargo.

The bills will go as far as Trent Edwards takes them. The talent on the roster, despite a few holes, is good enough to compete for a playoff spot. Teams have won a superbowl with a lot less than Lynch and Jackson. The bills wr position with the addition of Owens is very good. If Edwards takes it to the next level, it could be a very good year for Buffalo. I think there is about a 50% chance that will happen.

I would love to see Manning play again. Putting Manning in a dome, does not sound favorable to us.

LT would only need two teams interested to receive a lucrative contract. If he is releaced, he will get paid.

I'm not optimistic, but it is too early to consider this offseason a failure. Many of the top organizations in football find free agent bargains after the crazy money is spent during the opening weeks of free agency. I think the bills will bring in a few more free agents that will help this team improve. And after that, the posibility of trades still exists. When it is all said and done, I do think the bills will be more talented next year. The question however, is can the win with next years schedule. If Edwards takes a giant step forward they can, if not the bill will probably be mediocre again.

I think you are right on. The bears during their nfc championship season did a great job of mixing it up. The bears however, had tremendous depth. The had run stuffing dts that would rotate in and out with gap penetrating tackles like Harris.

It is frustrating at times. The defense is trying to prevent big plays. The goal is to make teams go on long extended drives, that will hopefully end due to a sack, penalty or turnover. It is the jobs of the corners not to get beat deep. This is easier to do if the corner is off the ball. If you look at most bills games, they give up a lot of yards, but not a lot of points. If the bills find 2 good pass rushers, more drives will end due to sack. The bills still need a gap penetrating dt and another good rushing end.

The cover two was an effective defense last year, especially if you look at the holes we have. DE: With Schobel out the bills were left with one average starter and one below average starter. DT: Stroud and Williams are not bad, but far from elite. LB: No pro bowlers, 2 ok-good starters and one major hole Safety: Whitner is fine, the second starter is sub par. Corner: Great depth, but no stars Now consider this -2 out of the last 3 years the bills have been in the top ten in points allowed -The defense was ranked in the top half last year -Teams that use the cover 2 as their base utilize other formations 55% of the time. I think Ralph Wilson was right, the bills lack talent. If we can find a pass rusher, a safety, and an olb the defense should be very good.

I agree with most of what has been said above. They really need to improve at the qb position. The rest of their roster is pretty good. I don't know what the solution is for their qb problems.

I think an uncapped system might not be the end of the world. The CBA has rules built into the uncapped year that could really help the bills. All players under six years of experience are considered to be restricted free agents. That means who ever we draft will be at least a bill for six years, or we would receieve compensation for the player. That rule would also keep players with under six years of service at a smaller sallary.

Think back to the Patriots first super bowl win. The offseason prior to the season they signed 19 guys, most of who were cheap seasoned vets. Some guys they signed include: Bryan Cox, Roman Phifer, and Antwoin Smith. The went from below average to super bowl champs. Now I realize that Tom Brady played a role in their success. After Bledsoe went down, he came in and played pretty good football. He was not great that year however. I think the bills should follow a similar plan. We don't need a 8 million dollar a year center or any other player coming off of their rookie contract. Those players cost too much. We need guys that know whats is going on, and can provide 1-2 years of good service. The core of this team is young. We can bring in some vets, and still have a team that could remain competive for years. These players can usually be had after the first wave of signing occurs.

I would love to have have Brown, but this is the deepest draft for centers in my memory. We can get a good one in the second. We do however, have to fill some holes through free agency. We can only count on the draft filling 2-3 needs next year.

Good point. I just saw how the contract was structured. 32 million of it gets paid in the first 13 months. That will take a lot of cap manipulation, unless as said before, next year is uncapped.