billsfan89

No the Bills can't win 11 games without at the very least a capable O-line. If their O-line is below average or horrible it won't be a playoff season for the Bills. I do think the team will draft a guard in round 2 but even as it stands now I think the O-line will be way better than it was last season (Not that it would be hard to do). In 2011-2012 the O-line play was actually pretty decent and good at times. Wood developed into one of the better centers in the league, Glenn was really good his first year, Levitre was a good guard, Urbik developed into a solid starter, and even Pears played passable. 2013 Levitre leaves and they don't do a good job replacing him and Wood, Glenn, and Urbik all regressed while Pears aged out. I think Marrone was a huge reason for the regression. The overall regression of the unit and the individuals is on Marrone. With InCognito and a new coaching staff (As well as the experience gained by Henderson and Cyrus) alone the offensive line should improve.

I would trade a late rounder for him and maybe a low level player that Chip likes (Like Goodwin or some other marginal player with potential). I wouldn't deal the 3rd rounder for him but any other pick plus a late rounder next year or player seems like it would be a good price. Only issue is, Mathis wants a pay increase, that's why the Eagles want to trade him. That's why I don't see it happening, the team is going to draft O-line round 2.

This trade reminds me of the Watkins trade for me personally. My gut reaction was that it was dumb. After thinking about it I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked Kiko but he was more a 4-3 MLB and his injury concerns were legit. McCoy is a dynamic talent but its not in vogue to pay RB's a lot of money and we are tied to him for 2 season at the age of 27. Overall the trade makes sense if you look at the Bills QB situation and the need for talent on the offense. The Bills weren't going to get a great QB without a 1st rounder. Kiko wasn't the best fit for the defense and he had injury concerns. So the Bills decided to upgrade the talent around the QB position. A very very good RB who is still in his prime was a good way to start the rebuild of the offense. Hopefully Clay, Harvin, and InCognito add to the mix as well as the team drafts a good guard.

With Dareus, Glimore, and Glenn on the last year of their deals it would be smart to sign him to a modest deal and get one less player to extend.

Good QB's don't become free agents.

Lets say they used the second rounder and this years third to trade up for Watikins (Which isn't unreasonable or far-fetched) and since Cyrus didn't have much of an impact its likely the team still would have finished 9-7. I think they go RT round 1 guard round 2. Roman had a lot of success with a power running O-line which featured multiple first rounders and high draft picks. I think he wouldn't mind doing that again.

Only issue with Taylor is how much of a chance is he really going to get (EJ and Cassel are going to command more snaps)? Also the raw tools might be there but he hasn't really seen much live action. I think they are looking at Taylor as a fallback option if the season goes to ****. If the Bills goes 3-7, they can just throw Taylor out there and see what he has for the last 5-6 games.

I am very interested to see how much the team loads up along the offensive line in the draft. Ground and pound and you have a suspect left guard and a developing RT. If Roman wants this scheme to be successful he knows he needs another piece along the O-line.

I don't think Tyrod will get enough reps to showcase his ability and develop. Unless Tyrod just goes off completely in his limited reps I think he is slated as the third string QB. Cassel reminds me of Kyle Orton (In terms of their value to their teams), Cassel is a high level backup low level starter QB. EJ is a semi-reclamation project, former high draft pick, good character, but somewhat flawed/underdeveloped. I think EJ wins the job. He will get more of an opportunity than Tyrod and I think he has an ability to develop his game under the current system better than the known quantity of Cassel

Weird to think that Schwartz is being so selective. You think coming off of his great year with the Bills and a solid past esp coordinating the Titans that Schwartz would have a good selection of jobs to pick from.

True you do have to feed your top talents but there are going to some games where they command too much attention and other players get to take advantage. Granted they shouldn't feed the ball to Hogan over Watkins and other players but if in one or two games Hogan gets open he is going to get the ball.

I think Rex learned his lesson with Hard Knocks. It really didn't make him look that good and it gave him headaches with the media. I think having players like InCognito and Harvin also make it less likely for the team to do it.

Cassel reminds me of Kyle Orton. They are different players but I think in terms of their value to the team they are similar stop gap high end backups low end starter type players.

I don't think you are using him as a decoy for Hogan but just throwing to whoever is open. If Hogan is getting one on one matchups and getting open you throw to him. If its Woods, Harvin, or Clay you throw to them. Granted if you are designing plays for a receiver or Clay Hogan is way down on the list.

Vince Wilfork is a great addition for the Texans and if Clowney can get healthy and play up to or near his potential (Also Whitney Mercilus isn't bad and could improve) they could rival the Bills. JJ Watt, Wilfork, Mercilus and Clowney could be a real nasty D-line. However outside of Watt and Wilfork that's a lot of potential and not much proven. Also Wilfork runs a risk of decline. Rams D-line could be really good too. Not sure Miami even with Suh rivals ours.

Its all in context. If teams double and triple cover Sammy or gear zones towards him and players like Harvin, Hogan, Woods, and Clay are carving teams up then Sammy has done his job and why throw to a guy constantly double covered? But if Sammy is getting single covered at times and he isn't targeted properly then its valid.

A lot of people want Spikes back. The Team has a need for MLB's and Spikes played well last year in a 1-2 down role. Early downs run stuffing MLB who brings an element of physicality is a good thing to have esp at a modest price.

I think he is being hyperbolic. But expect the team to average well over 30 runs a game. As another poster mentioned the Jets in 2009 ran the ball 38 times a game.

I think they bring in Lawson as we are uber thin at LB without him. McKelvin had his best season as a pro in 2013 under Pettine's coaching and was solid before his injury last season so I think he will be on the roster (Rex also likes his corners). Cassell is Kyle Orton 2.0 so he won't be cut as even if EJ seizes the position they need a good backup. Dixon is too valuable a special teams player and pretty affordable. Only one I could see getting cut is Williams. But I think they bring Williams into camp to compete.

Bills also have a need for a backup to Clay. Although I think they will go with a healthier option like Fasano.

I love this concept. With the cap and high turnover rates a lot of veteran players who want to play and might be able to contribute will actually get some sort of platform to showcase what they have and try to get a contract.

Assuming the team drafts a guard to play LG and the team gets capable play along the O-line (Which is an if but I think Marrone stunted the growth of the O-line and it regressed). Teams will stuff the box and dare Cassel/EJ to win the game with his arm down the field. Harvin, Watkins, and Woods are capable players to stretch the field but can the O-line protect and can the QB deliver? I think the results on both will be mixed.

I think the team feels like they can grab a guard in the draft. I am not a cap expert but with Clay and Harvin signed I think they can't really afford anything more than modest offers. I would rather they bring back Spikes and bring in Dwan Landry. The defense is good but it needs some depth. They can draft a guard in round 2 and either another O-line or depth at TE or another position in round 3.

Probably after the Clay signing, other possible depth additions, and the draft the team will be somewhere in the range of 30-28 to 1. Not bad odds for a team with one of the worst QB situations in the NFL. Shows the strength of the overall roster.

Team needs a guard in round 2. Tight end round 3. QB is what it is a rookie won't be much if at all better than EJ. The team needs to help out the O-line and the draft in round 2 is a good avenue