OldTimer1960

As long as they don't over-pay for him, OK, I guess. I don't understand the interest at all, unless Chan wants to maybe run the wildcat sometimes. I think Smith was a college QB. I don't think he is any more than a decent backup WR - nothing special....

You forgot Too untalented I don't want to be glib, but most of those guys are late round draft picks or undrafted FAs. Our one "pedigreed" LB is Maybin and he is the worst of the bunch.

The worst defense in the league just got worse with the loss of Poz. Why would anyone be upset with that? I try to be optimistic, but this team doesn't seem to want to win. They now have ZERO starting-caliber NFL LBs on a defense that needs 4. I am as hopeful as anyone that Kelvin Shepard can show that he is a starting NFL LB, but the reality is that he is a rookie who hasn't had ANY offseason coaching or NFL strength and conditioning. The LBs as of today are: Akin Ayodele (are you kidding?), Andra Davis (ugh), Shepard, Kelsay (out of position and not quick enough), and some 5th and 6th round wanna-bes in Moats, Batten and White. MAYBE one or more of the young guys will show that they have some talent, but that isn't a bet I'd want to make right now. Compounding the lack of talent at LB is the DL. I think Dareus was a great pick, Kyle Williams is a good player and I have hope that Torrell Troup will be better in year two (he supposedly worked very hard at gettting bigger and stronger) - BUT nobody could confuse this group with a dominant DL (at least not at this point).

He is also an immature, sulking player who (per reports on NFL Network and his former coach) has not figured out that he needs to put a lot more effort into being a pro QB. In my opinion, that isn't the type of player that you want on a Bills team that seems to want tough scrappy players who will try to win with extra effort (as opposed to trying to win with talent).

LB, LB, ORT, OLT, TE, CB. LB is in a sad sad state when people are looking to Whatever-his-name-is Batten and Moats to make a major impact. Losing Poz would be devastating. RT: There is no NFL-calibre backup RT on the roster, let alone a bona-fide starter. LT: I think D. Bell has the athletic ability to be an OK starting LT. Does he have the work-ethic and strength? TE: Ugh! CB: Sadly, there are not even enough on the roster to fill out a team. They really NEED to re-sign Florence. If they can keep Florence, McKelvin, McGee, Corner and add Aaron Williams, they might have enough to get by given that Byrd could probably play CB in a pinch.

With Poz saying that it would be irresponsible to not test free agency, I say that he is as good as gone. Too bad, because it will leave yet another gaping hole in an already putrid defense. Their LBs are the worst group in the NFL, UFL and possibly even the Arena League. Losing their only NFL-calibre LB would be a huge blow and there are no viable replacements available (that I see) in FA. The Bills really need to make a BIG push to re-sign Poz before the FA period hits. Just my $.02 worth...

I don't think this is correct. I believe you give up your pick in the round that you used to make a supplemental pick. That is, if you bid a 3rd on a player in the supplemental draft, you lose your 3rd in the upcoming draft. I could be wrong, but I believe that is how it works.

Now, I don't know what Naker's view on Trent Edwards was, but I definitely do not understand the negativity towards Poz. This is a guy who has fought through injuries and weak DL play to post good production over his time here. Is it true that many of his tackles have come downfield? Yes, but with a weak DL in front of him, what could you expect? I hope that the Bills can re-sign Poz and we'll see what he can do behind, what I hope is, an improved DL with Troup and Carrington in year 2 and the addition of Dareus to Kyle Williams and Dwan Edwards.

Agreed. He should be the Bills' first FA priority. He look significantly better if the DL in front of him improves with the addition of last year's #2 and 3 picks Troup and Carrington, along with Dareus.

Agreed. I suspect that the secondaries first priority was helping the woeful run D and opposing offenses were set up very well when the opted to pass due to favorable down and distance situations and DBs "cheating" to help against the run.

Thank you. Some people just don't understand economic reality. They are one of the lowest revenue teams in the league with among the lowest ticket prices. They can't spend what they don't have. I hope that the spouses of these people constantly badger them for not spending more than they make.

I am sure that some or all of these have been mentioned, but for Bills only, here are my picks: Robert James CB: I believe he was undrafted and was very very good. Sam Cowart ILB: was really very very good prior to his injury which just killed his career. Jeff Nixon S: He was really looking good and then he hurt his (knee I think). Takeo Spikes OLB: was DOMINANT before his achilles injury. He has hung on for many years as an OK starter (now with SF), but he has been no where near his level with Cinci and the Bills. Jerry Butler WR: Might have been the Bills' best WR ever had he not gotten hurt early in his career. I remember him making some just AMAZING catches. Of them all, I think it is a toss-up between Butler and Spikes as to who would have been the very best, but I think all of the above would have had outstanding careers if not for the injuries.

I have had the pleasure of seeing both OJ and Thurman run. I think Thurman Thomas was a GREAT RB - perhaps Hall Of Fame, but Simpson was INCREDIBLE. He had no passing game to speak of to draw the defense off, as Thurman had. Yet, Simpson could NOT BE STOPPED. In terms of surrounding talent, Thomas by far had the better set of teammates. No question in my mind, Simpson was one of the 10 best individual players that I've ever seen.

While I think the team is finally on the right track, I really think that your "grades" are very very lenient for a 4-12 team. For example, giving the QB position with a journeyman starter and 2nd year 7th round pick a B is very easy grading. How the DL and LBs come out with even passing grades is quite surprising given that the team was dead last in stopping the run last year. To be clear, I see reasons for optimism. I like Nix and Gailey and I think that last year's rookies will continue to develop. I like this year's group of rookies, too, but every team likes their rookies a lot. This is a team (IMHO) that will have to inch its way up in a very good division. I think that they could take another step towards the playoffs this year, but I do think that: 1. the lockout will hinder a very young team like the Bills more than veteran teams like the Pats and Jets 2. the Bills still have a lot of unaddressed holes including both OT positions, OLB, TE and starting QB. 3. I think that the WR corp is highly over-rated. They have Lee Evans on the downside of his career, one-year producer Stevie Johnson, undersized niche player Roscoe Parrish and some guys who showed a little, but not enough to call them good bets. Your description of Marcus Easley is highly inflated. What potential? He played a bit in training camp and was hurt early in the preseason. He was not a productive receiver in college until the 2nd half of his last year. All in all, I want to be optimistic and to some extent share some of your enthusiasm, but I can't escape the fact that this team was 4-12, has a lot of young players missing valuable coaching during the lockout and has questions at most positions.

Thank you, you are SO right. It isn't just about the biggest or strongest, it's also about leverage, instincts, technique and effort. I love the Jasper story as much as anyone. I also see that he is an outstanding athlete for someone so large. However, remember he was 440 lbs last year playing at a very low level of competition on the OL. Yes, he did play defense the year before, but he was also playing against 230-250lb OL at that level of play. His athletic ability, size and strength gives him a CHANCE to make it in the NFL. I don't know why some here want to give up on Troup after one year where he didn't light it up. It is VERY common for DL, especially DT/NT to take 2-3 years to get stronger and learn technique to play well at the NFL level. Troup, by the reports I've seen, is a hard worker and has talent. Don't give up on him yet.

Why so little reported? Because even less happened. C'mon, they did some running drills and 45 minutes of weight lifting. I am no pro athlete and I am 50 years old and I do 40 minutes of aerobic exercise and 40 minutes of weight lifting on most days. I am sweaty when I am done, too (yes, sometimes I even wear a grey shirt to show the sweat). Point isn't that I am some great athlete (I'm not), just that there is no news here for professional athletes to get a light workout in.

One reason is because those players are under contract with the NFL.

Sometimes stats aren't as clear as they seem. I think that the turnover ratio also reflected how bad the team was (rather than it being the reason the team was bad). I would not be surprised to find out that a high percentage of those turnovers was late in games when the offense had no choice but to throw because they were playing from behind.

He go to a big school and was not academically eligible, transferred to Tennessee Martin or something then to Bethel. He was also seriously overweight. He has dedicated himself to getting in shape and has done a wonderful job to come this far. Now, we'll see if he can continue and if he can play at the NFL level.

Well, he did say that in the video so the quote was correct. I am sure that Jasper meant that he improved his forty time.

I am not sure that leadership is quite the right word. The entire team can't be leaders or there is no one for them to lead. I think that the have drafted players who are self-motivated, self-starting and dedicated. A few may be leaders of the group, but I think more important is that most of these guys, based on the scouting reports I've seen, don't need motivation from anyone else. Look at Torrell Troup busting his butt this offseason getting stronger and putting on weight. I don't think anyone is leading him to that, he is doing it on his own because he wants to be good.

Well, perhaps because they thought that the player that they were going to get without trading down was worth more than the two later picks that they'd have gotten? Remember, for a team to offer a package of later picks for one earlier pick, they must've felt that the one earlier pick was equivalent or better than the package of later picks or they wouldn't have made the offer....

I don't think Troup is getting enough respect. He is reportedly working his butt off and says he is up to 327lbs of pretty solid muscle (saw his twitter pic). I like Troup's effort, work-ethic and intensity. I don't think you can write the guy off because he wasn't a full-time starter as a rookie. Many interior DL take a few years to get stronger and learn to play NFL techniques. Agreed, some folks' expectations of rookies are way out of touch with reality. Charley Casserly did a study recently looking at the drafts of the previous 10 years. With a successful draft pick defined as someone who is starting 4 years after his selection, Casserly said the success rate by round was: 1st round: 75% probability of success 2nd round: 50% probability of success 3rd round: 25% and it goes down significantly from there. There is also a contingent of folks who don't seem to understand that the team didn't have an infinite number of draft picks. The didn't pick a QB, they didn't pick any OLBs,....

I think that they love guys who put their all into playing and preparing more than they love mobile QBs. Vince Young has proven that he isn't a leader and doesn't want to prepare to succeed. He does have "elite" physical skills, but that wasn't enough to convince Tennessee to keep him. I can't think of any other QB who had great physical skills, but didn't work hard on preparation, who succeeded in another location after failing at his first stop. Maybe I am missing a few guys who did?

Looking strong and in pretty good shape for a NT!