vincec

Maybe if he made some plays he'd get more opportunities.

BTW- The '84 49ers had the #1 scoring defense in the NFL that year. No matter how good your offense is, you don't win without defense.

McCargo is as good as gone and Kelsay is an OLB, so there are 7. Dareus, Williams, Troup, Carrington, Edwards, Johnson and Jasper. Probably keep 6 with Jasper on PS.

I'm not sure I understand the love affair with Lee Evans. He wasn't a #1 receiver last year or the year before. His stats are consistently declining. He doesn't appear versatile at all. Other team's top receivers seem to produce a whole lot more than Evans does. Apparently, the opposing team is so concerned about him that in totally shutting him down things open up for everyone else... and I have some land in Florida that I'd like to sell you. He is a nice guy I hear and the Bills could still use him, but forget about calling him a #1 receiver. The Bills don't have a #1 receiver. Stevie Johnson showed some flashes last year and he is young, but at this point everyone else is just a role player.

Well, he's not going to lead the Bills to the Super Bowl, but he's better than a lot of veterans who would be willing to come to Buffalo to be a backup. That's why it's better to get a young player.

Forget David Carr. I live in Charlotte and had the misfortune of watching him play with the Panthers when Delhomme got hurt. He is absolutely terrible. Speaking of Delhomme, if it's true that he would be available for relatively cheap then he would be a decent backup. He can still play some. I doubt there'd be much controversy with him and Fitz. Delhomme is not a long term prospect and if Fitz is playing so badly that people are chiming for Delhomme, then he deserves to be benched. I'd rather see a young guy with some chance of developing though. Really, what's the point in a veteran backup? The Bills aren't going to challenge for the Super Bowl next year. Might as well take a shot at catching lightning in a bottle with some young guy.

The receiving corps definitely has some potential, but they will only be as good as Fitz and the OL allow them to be.

Mike Ditka used to say that his goal was to only have two types of players at each position: players that you can win a championship with and guys who you think can become championship caliber players. That goes for starters and backups. No point in bringing in a QB who you don't think can be a starter that can lead your team somewhere.

I'd rather see an analysis of how well Whitner played against the pass. People claim that he has pretty good coverage skills (wasn't he used as a nickel back a couple of seasons ago due to injuries?), but he has very few ints or big pass breakups that I can remember. If all you needed your safety to do is make tackles, then you'd put a linebacker back there.

I'm surprised that you pick the LBs. There's not one single established, proven championship calibur player. Merriman has barely played over the last few years and has been injured. Moats hasn't really proven himself to be a stud yet. I guess Poz is probably the best, although I would say that he's just an average to above average starter. Besides that it's rookies and other teams castoffs. I've got to go with the DL. One pro-bowler (Williams), one potential star (Dareus), one solid veteran (Edwards), two rising prospects (Troup and Carrington) and one solid depth player (Johnson). That's a pretty good group. I think that by the year after next they will the best in the division.

Kelsay is the best 4-3 DE on the team. If the Bills are going to play much 4-3, then he will be playing. Simple as that. With that being said, I think that IF Merriman comes back and plays well, IF he can stay healthy, and IF the Bills can find another ILB (Sheppard or White or somebody), the Bills will not be showing very much 4-3 at all. I think saying that they're going to continue to play a "hybrid" defense is only a rationalization because the don't have the personnel for the 3-4, which is what the really want.

I think that Kelsay will see significant playing time in the 4 DL alignments as the LDE. If/when Merriman gets injured, he will see some time as LOLB as well. Last season, he was the Bills best pass rusher (yeah, I know...) so he will definitely play some regardless of his contract.

I don't see Merriman making it through the season. I just have a hunch about Batten.

Yes. Then he started crying.

DE Marcel Dareus NT Kyle Williams DE Dwan EdwardsAlex Carrington OLB Shawn MerrimanDanny Batten ILB Kelvin Shepard ILB Paul Posluszny OLB Arthur Moats CB Leodis McKelvinDrayton Florence CB Terrance McGee SS Aaron WilliamsGeorge Wilson FS Jarius Byrd

That Bills team broke my heart. I'll never forget the San Diego playoff game. Fouts gets picked off late in the game with the Bills clinging to the lead, but the Bills O can't run out the clock. SD gets in back and Fouts burns the Bills for a 50 yd touchdown with almost the exact same pass play that he was picked off on.

He would be decent.

Gabbert was available at #3 and at the press conference after the 1st round Nix appeared to indicate that they would've drafted Gabbert if Dareus was off the board. So, they liked Gabbert enough to take him ahead of Von Miller a #3. Maybe Dareus was too good to pass up. As I said, hopefully they don't regret it. Obviously, finding a QB is THE most important step to winning a championship.

It looks like a good draft. The only picks I'd argue with are Searcy and (especially) Johnny White. Time will tell if the Bills faith in Fitzpatrick and their lack of confidence in Gabbert will be justified. If not, this draft will look like a missed opportunity. What say you to no QB?

Are you sure about that? http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/12/bills-stevie-johnson-every-nfl-player-is-enjoying-the-lockout/

Just referring to on of the many theories that were floated on this board last off season as to why the Bills players were chronically injured. This was a popular one along with too many TVs in the weight room. But yes, I doubt that most of the players are really working out the way they would if there were no lockout. You hear stories of some players working out and I'd like to think that they're professionals who take their fitness seriously, but I think many of them are far too immature to really approach fitness in a serious manner. Part of it is human nature and part of it is that they're young, rich and have no one to answer to right now.

I've heard some coach's, like Bill Parcells, say that when this happens consistently to a team it's because their players aren't good enough and are getting injured as a result. Either that or they're not doing enough squats.

I know that this is off topic, but the writer calling Bernard Hopkins perhaps the greatest middleweight in boxing history is a joke. Besides heavyweight, the middleweight division is boxing's deepest and most storied. Off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen middleweights better than Hopkins including Ray Robinson, Marvin Haggler and Harry Greb.

If the players are allowed to essentially do the same thing then why is it wrong for the owner's to do the same? Do they have a higher moral standard?

I think Fitzpatrick's play will be the difference between a 6-10 and a 10-6 season. If he can build on his play from last year then the Bills will be on their way to a possible playoff birth. If not, then it's back to the QB drawing board.