ColdBlueNorth
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Forgive me if this has already been posted -- it's a day old.
This blog post by the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero caught my eye. It's about the Dolphins believing they now have the division's best receivers. And it contained this tidbit:
"The Bills have Stevie Johnson, a very good No. 2 wide receiver, but they don't have a lot after him and, by the way, they think Johnson is a No. 1."
Common eye-roll troll, but another perspective nonetheless.
A lot of meaningless debate on this thread - there is no way to compare SJ to the likes of Reed or Lofton. Some could say that SJ does not possess high-end speed, neither did Reed, or that he is not a game changer ( I would disagree with that statement as there were plenty of games he did change - but we all have a tendency to remember what will forever be called "the drop" vs the Steelers.
Defenses were not as complicated and SJ did not have Jim Kelly throwing to him with Lofton on the other side either so a comparison can never really be made. I think what Stevie has been able to do with so many defenders focusing on shutting him down is nothing short of amazing and it sounds a bit petty to slap a #2 on him because he does not fit a classic mold when he does his thing. What we do know is that the book on SJ has not been finished yet, and if his health holds up he still has a few years and chapters to add before it is done. Maybe then we can argue the merits of his contribution.
Someone brought up, and I too have some concerns, that concise timing routes may prove difficult for Stevie. At the end of the day, I am not sure if SJ's route-running was suspect, or Fitzs' passes were just late or behind or too far ahead or bouncing off the turf short. As with most things, it is probably a little of both, but I lean towards Fitz having accuracy issues more often than SJ winging it and not being in the right place. If anything, I am hopeful that he can mentor some of the youngsters on how to allude getting jammed on the line, a feat which SJ excels at.
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That guy was great and what he did was even better.
Very very true, and I am not trying to take anything away from his good Samaritan gesture - but his interview and that music remake is funny.
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I know this is off topic, but I am bored with both the Bills and the Sabres in a holding pattern and I just have to laugh every time I watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nZcRU0Op5P4
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If you are fortunate enough to be spared the experience when you are young, as you grow older you face more of life's tragedies.
You bury friends and family taken by accidents, cancer, and such. You learn to appreciate the simple diversion and camaraderie that sports and the occasional stiff drink can offer.
Being a Bills and Sabres fan for as long as I have been, and experiencing the crushing disappointments I have had following both I don't think I could dredge up that much emotion over the draft. After all the years and the many times I have stomped off vowing to end the relationship, both teams somehow manage to reel me back in no matter how many times I lie to myself and say that I just don't care any more. I guess hope does spring eternal. Maybe hope is just being really stubborn and staying the course even when life kicks you in the nads.
My advice, enjoy the ride. If the Bills draft makes you an emotional mess, then you are going to need to be seriously sedated to survive following this team.
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Good read - would like to know who those other sources were, but probably asking too much. Suffice it to say they were not highly placed ESPN draft resources.
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There was also a report and rumor that he fired his agent(s) after the draft as he felt he should have gone #1 overall.
All I know for sure is that he did fire his agent, and was upset and embarrassed that he was just sitting there with the cameras on him not getting drafted - understandable. As far as expecting to go early in the first round or #1 overall.... I am glad the Bills decided to pass on that.
If all this is true, the Jets are in for a really bumpy ride.
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Just curious on which one of these guys that everyone thinks was the bigger bust. I think its actually very hard to say
Maybin may have produced better stats if he was allowed to float around the NFL for 5 years like Flowers.
Flowers stats after 5 years in the NFL was 37 tackles, 5 sacks, and one interception.
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Because everyone knows Vikings are cool.
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2 out of our last 3 D coordinators have coordinated SB winning Ds. Wannstedt with Dallas in 1992 (anyone remember that defense?) and Perry Fewell with the Giants after he was fired by Buffalo. True Dave's D sucked here and Perry's was not good either, but calling SB winning D coordinators lack-luster and bargain basement is not exactly right. I know, Perry hadn't done it before he got here, but Dave did.
Wannestedt was one step away from getting kicked out of the college ranks, and Perry was a defensive backs coach for 10 years before finally landing his first DC job with the Bills - I stand by my bargain basement analogy.
I would also put an * next to Perry's success with the Giants and I will explain later. Simply put, I just have not been wowed by any of our defenses since Wade Phillips and Ted Cottrell were shown the door.
Wannestedt's success with Dallas was in 92, that was 21 years ago...before NFL free agency, zone blitzes, the Tampa-2, the pistol, the spread, the read option.... basically, his past SB success was so far in the past it was not even relevant and how much of that success had to do with Jimmy Johnson's influence. Some assistant coaches branch off successful HC coaching trees and adapt well to change and even leave their own mark having their own success by coming up with unique schemes to match up against their opponents or to overcome personnel limitations, some do not. After back to back 4-12 seasons with Chicago he was jettisoned and ran right back to Jimmy Johnson to enjoy some success in his shadow in Miami, but when Jimmy Johnson retired and named him as successor he could not build off of any momentum he created in Miami going to the playoffs the first 2 years, then missing the playoffs the 3rd year, and wheels completely coming off his 4th year where he got off to a 1-8 season before being shown the door.
I should have dug deeper on Wannestedt and listened to some of the naysayers on this board. It would have saved me a lot of disappointment.
I thought Fewell was a decent DC, but his stint with the Bills led to defenses that were ranked 10th, 18th, 14th, and 16th... overall - meh. Everyone knows what kind of coach Coughlin is and how well he targets and uses personnel he picks up on both sides of the ball. Coughlin led the expansion Jaguars to either a divisional or conference championship game 4 years in a row, and got to the big show and won it with the Giants without Fewell in 2007 after losing in a NFC wild card game both previous years. I think it is safe to say the Fewell has benefited from being in Coughlin's system not the other way around. Coughlin is comfortable with Fewell and they are likely on the same page as he served as his Defensive Backs coach when he was HC of the Jags.
Now the argument can and has been made that Pettine has only enjoyed success in the shadow of Rex Ryan - this is true. We have no idea if he will be the type of DC that can flourish on his own or flounder. What I do believe is that he is current in regards to how today's NFL offenses attack the field and how defenses can try to counter that, but as a game-day coach the jury is still out. I just have to believe he has to be better than the abysmal performance we saw from Wannestedt.
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My expectations are a steadily improving team that can find enough continuity to perhaps get a Wild Card spot or at least compete for one.
I am rarely a rose-colored glasses kind of guy, but I think we have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball that has never-ever been used properly. Add to that mess the defensive talent was gathered around misguided attempts to align personnel to a moving target of defensive philosophies brought in by the bargain basement parade of lack-luster defensive coordinators that did not have a proven track record of building great defenses in the first place. The net result was a defense that spends each of the last several seasons kissing the cellar floor. That fragmented approach to personnel and philosophies left us with a lot of pieces that simply did not fit together well and the new regime has jettisoned many of the misfit toys.
Letting go of the players that did not fit what they are trying to run does not mean the Bills lack talent. Pettine said when he took the job - the cupboard is not bare when it comes to the talent-level of our defensive players and I think he is a good judge of the talent needed on that side of the ball.
Pettine has the pedigree and the proven ability to use a variety of fronts and pressure packages to field a successful defensive unit. I believe that he will help this team match up against the NE spread offense, but unlike Wannestedt who seemed to totally unravel when teams adjusted to his game plan he will not sit by like a deer in the head lights if a team like NE shifts in the second half to a run package and starts pulling and trapping and running off tackle. I simply cannot envision him sitting baffled, unable to adjust personnel or strategy while a team like NE rushes for a zillion yards in the second half of a game.
So yes, I do think the defense will be competitive pretty early on. That leaves the offense.
The offense will have a lot of growing pains, but actually may get out of the gate faster than folks think simply because teams are not that familiar with the kind of offense Marrone and Hackett will run and how they will use the many offensive weapons at their disposal. NFL defenses (the good ones) catch on fast though and I think they will have some games where they just cannot get out of their own way. For those games I am hopeful that field position and solid defense will give the offensive unit enough opportunities for one of the many play makers on offense to catch a break.
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They let Levitre walk, and I think it was wise given they could not compete with the $$ he was being offered as a FA. I figured they would take a shot at Warmack and then grab one of the many 2nd tier QB's that most of us figured would fall out of the 1st round. Obviously they felt that Manual was not going to last through the later half of the 1st round or the first half of the 2nd and took him where they did.
So I understand the way things unfolded and they filled their QB and WR needs up front in the draft, but the one thing that has me scratching my head as well... if not blue-chip prospects, there were plenty of solid OL contributors in the later rounds that could have added depth.
The only thing I can think of (and Buddy eluded to) is that they must have more confidence in the bench-strength of our 2nd string OL than any of us do. That and they picked up a center and a guard as UFA, they must be awfully high on these guys and must have known they were not on anyone else's radar. The guard is from Cuse so Marrone knows the player very well so he probably feels he is a prospect that can step in where Levitre left off pretty quickly. He would definitely be a guard that is used to and has a leg up executing the up-tempo offense they like to run and is familiar with the pulls and traps they like to run...and he must be a player that Marrone and Hackett feel can make the transition to the pros.
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Players Signed:
Drew Smith, RB, Albany
Brandon Kaufman, WR, Eastern Washington
Ryan Turnley, C, Pittsburgh
Keith Pough, OLB, Howard
No Matt Scott:
QB Matt Scott to Jags.
Dang it! I had Matt Scott and Dysert on my short list of QB insurance policies for the future - It is interesting that Elway and the rest of the Denver FO nabbed Dysert in the 7th where he will learn behind another one of the greats in Peyton Manning. Kind of justified the man-crush I had on how this kid played the QB position at Miami Ohio.
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There are still some very decent TE's left that are coming out of less successful programs with less of the spotlight - they can still grab a good one in the 4th or 5th. I think beyond that they may as well wait for the UFA pool of TE's.
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I don't think they will grab another QB here unless there is a sudden run on them and they actually planned on getting another rookie as a long-term project...
My take is they go TE and grab either Simms or Otten, they could go Toilolo in later rounds; Toilolo is a bit more of a project, but a TE that I think has some more upside getting separation downfield and has a decent vertical.
We will see.
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This is a spot where you would not grab a QB as polished and publicized as Barkley - who wants to create a rookie QB controversy right off the bat.
I could see them taking more of a project like Dysert, or Mat Scott... I would say Wilson or Bray, but I believe both of those guys would not be very good team players holding the clip board and riding the pine with their personalities - just my take.
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Like many others, the Bills did not do what he thinks they should have (pick Geno Smith at 8 in this case) so he is having a hissy fit. Typical. Given all the debate and disagreement by fans on TSW leading up to the draft on pick a QB or not, which one to pick, etc, this is not surprising. Personally, I am much more comfortable leaving that decision to the people who get paid for it. They needed a QB, they extensively evaluated the options, and made the choice. It will be an interesting year at the very least, but I feel very good about the draft so far, especially Manuel.
Very sane response. My take as well - even if Nix and Marrone went in a totally different direction from my Dysert in the later rounds strategy and took Manual (my second favorite college QB that other folks on this board encouraged me to take a closer look at), there is no reason to stay up till 4am throwing a fit. I am sure there are nuances to the offense the Marrone wants to run that none of us are privy to and they were targeting QB skills required to execute those different packages.
They probably had a general rating for all the QBs and then some very specific traits that they were looking for that bumped Manual to the top of their list.
What is clear is that they got the guy that they had on the top of their board and still picked up more picks...that is the best draft scenario I could have imagined - in fact I was just about sure they would screw up and reach for a project with the 8th overall pick and not swing any trades.
I'm good.
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It will be interesting to see what the Bills do in round 2.
I think it will say a lot about what their vision is for EJ.
If they take a WR and a TE in round 2 then I think they are pretty much setting EJ up to be the starter.
I think the key will be if they draft a TE in round 2. Every rookie QB can benifit from a good TE
CBF
Most mocks have us grabbing a linebacker and that could happen - I really have nothing against Te'o and if he is there he would be an upgrade in the middle of our defense. He was a tackling machine and the key player on a pretty good Irish defense and had high marks till the whole poor bowl game and hoax thing that was too overblown. I am not overly concerned with ILB's and their 40 speed - just how hard they hit the holes, are they instinctive, and are they solid tacklers - he's a football player and should be a productive one for any team that picks him up.
If we do go receiver I really like USC's Woods, and Zach Ertz at TE; although there are some pretty decent TE's that can be had in the 3rd - I doubt Ertz falls that far.
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Change the team name to the Buffalo Reach.
It may work out this time, but the history of this strategy is weak.
I am less concerned with the reach with them taking a shot where they did later in the first and picking up the Ram's 2nd round pick along the way.
Clearly they felt that teams that needed, yet passed up on QB's early in the 1st (which was a smart move on their part) would not do the same thing in the second round and Manuel would not be available for them.
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My second favorite QB in the draft. I was a bit concerned with his penchant to pull the ball down and run after his second read, but if Marrone and Co. think that is a correctable habit then he was the most athletic QB of the bunch. I was never sold on Gino, but who knows maybe he comes into the league with such a chip on his shoulder that he tears it up. My favorite QBs in the later rounds would have been Zac Dysert or Matt Scott (raw, but some room to grow).
The thing the Bills did best in this draft was simply getting more picks. They have a lot of holes to fill and not enough picks to do it.
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More than a few folks talked about the possibility of Buddy trading down and taking a QB lower in the first, but I agree there were some folks that were painting everything black and white.
I thought this was a year more than any other I can recall off hand where after the first 10-15 picks, the rest of the 1st round talent was hard to distinguish from the 2nd round talent. If there ever was a situation where you trade out of the 8th pick to a team desperate to address some need area with the few blue-chip prospects near the top this was the year to do it - especially given the paltry number of overall picks the Bills had.
Nice job Buddy.
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Yes, this is another trade-down thread....
If after AZ picks, Star Lotuleilei is still on the board, our call is to the Niners. They have way more picks than needs and they have the luxury to target shoot particular players to fill out their (ridiculous) roster. Depending on which way they choose to go (they also need help at corner), the #8 slot can give them 100% assurance they get their guy. Star at #8 would be good value for them.....all a question of their highest priority need. I wish we could take Star at 8 but we all know our issues.....
The other scenario is this: If it's a corner/safety they want the most...When Millner comes off the board, (#6) I do not think they are going to want to stay put at 31 knowing that, at any time, a small run on corners can deplete the top prospects. Vaccaro is mocked all over the first round, nobody can say where SF would need to trade in to get him. They have specific needs and a lot of trading capital that is of most value to them in packaging/moving up, not acquiring bodies...8 is a little high for the other 1st round corners....but if/when there is a run on a position, the value charts get thrown out of the window. Vaccaro at 8 is a little high but not for a SB team with targeted needs. All depends on what they want the most.....strictly value, this makes the most sense for Star.
If we are trading, this could be the ideal partner for us. Can't wait to see how this plays out.
(1) 31. San Francisco 49ers
(2) 34. San Francisco 49ers (from Kansas City Chiefs)
(2) 61. San Francisco 49ers
(3) 74. San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina Panthers)
(3) 93. San Francisco 49ers
(4) 128. San Francisco 49ers
(4) 131. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)
(5) 157. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis Colts)
(5) 164. San Francisco 49ers
(6) 180. San Francisco 49ers (from Miami Dolphins)
(7) 227. San Francisco 49ers (from Cincinnati Bengals)
(7) 237. San Francisco 49ers
(7) 246. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)
(7) 252. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)
Talk about an embarrassment of riches.
There has got to be a better formula for handing out picks. Something is definitely broken when a team that is scraping the bottom has 6 picks in the draft and the team that was the runner up in the Superbowl has 15.
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With the Revis trade, the Jets pick up another first rounder. Now, the Jets will have 3 picks between Buffalo's first round pick and its second.
Does this force the Bills to take a QB in the first round?
Discuss.
No.
It only forces the Bills' hand if they are targeting the same players, there is no way to know if that is the case. All this rampant speculation about being lucky enough to grab this or that project QB is just that - speculation.
Most savvy scouts have the most talented QB's (from their tools and potential ceiling) as being the ones that are the most raw in this draft (Bray, Dysert, and Matt Scott are often mentioned). There are certainly more NFL-ready QBs, but after being in decent college systems surrounded by quality offensive weapons, scouts and draftniks get an good idea where their ceiling is - it is never an exact science, but more often than not it is close.
I don't think the Bills panic, I believe that the QB they are targeting they feel is a good year or two away from starting hence the Kolb insurance policy.
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Some guys did terrible. My favorite Robert Woods looks good. According to the score, Tavon Austin is illiterate. These scores probably don't mean as much for WRs as it does for QBs but its still fun to see how these guys do.
Yep. That is where the scouting phrase "slow blinker" comes from.
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Not sure how many folks caught this, but it is pretty funny.
My son actually ran into the Bauman U of M wrestler. My kid is only in 8th grade, but he gets some private coaching up there and his regular coach was late. Joel Bauman came over and offered to work with him while he waited - he was actually really good to my kid and it sucks how the NCAA is exploiting college athletes and the lengths they will go to come after "violators". I think there has to be a more fair distribution of the profits - at least they could pay more of the tuition fees and such.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-april-11-2013/the-ncaa-s-perfectly-fair-rules
Jason Peters: holdout check, arrest check
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
Peter's is a bum and will remain a bum. I don't understand why people defend him.
Dude was undrafted, basically looking at a future of god knows what - flipping burgers or something. The Bills and Mouse took a chance on a guy that was too large to be playing the TE position he was playing in school and groomed this kid from special teams, to playing RT, and gradually working his way to the LT position. When he had a mostly solid year at LT they presented him with a 4 year contract that he signed in good faith and then he spent the last two years of it holding out and causing problems for the whole team till they were disgusted enough with the whole affair to let him walk.
Not showing up or not giving notice that he was not going to participate in the Eagles OTA's may mean nothing, or it may mean that he has broken out his old playbook again - the world is round for a reason. What comes around goes around.
I have moved on, but he will never be a great player in my book. Just another me-first selfish bum - whatever, he's the Eagle's problem to deal with now.