ChanOverChin
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Posts posted by ChanOverChin
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What the Bills are going to do is to build through the draft, not FA. That means they are not going to be very good in 2010.......but that is by design.
There is no sense in acquiring a whole bunch of expensive FAs in 2010 that won't fill enough of the holes anyway.
They are on a TWO YEAR plan.
I don't mind waiting until 2011 for the Bills to actually be able to compete for the division title/playoffs.........as long as they have a viable plan in place.
Don't even try to tell me that the Bills will be better this year than last year. There's no way that's going to happen unless the draft picks produce big time in year 1.
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reddog, I'm not saying that the Bills won't try to win with what they end up with on the roster for 2010. What I'm saying is that they're not going to go all out to fill every roster spot by signing a bunch of proven FAs to fill the spots that they can't fill through the draft.
They will likely start one of the three QBs on the roster, which means they won't be any better at that all-important position than they were last year.
They won't be upgrading that position this year not because they don't want to, but because they have far too many other holes to fill.
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It's realistically going to take at least TWO drafts to get the quality players that are needed at QB, LT, NT, and others.
Rome wasn't built in a day and the Bills are Rome at this point.
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This group of guys plus T. Modrak is a high quality group IMHO. They have the daunting task of turning around a franchise that nobody seems to want to play for.
To change that attitude throughout the league they are going to have to put a winner on the field and once that happens the FAs will start to sign with the Bills once again, which will make it easier for the Bills to add depth to their roster year after year and maybe even sign a FA gem once in awhile.
In order to produce a winner the Bills' braintrust will need to make some shrewd moves and mostly build the team through the draft. It will take at least TWO drafts and TWO FA periods to get the team back to respectability.
B. Polian and M. Levy proved that it is possible to put a winning product (dare I say even a dominant product) on the field in the form of a Bills uniform. But in order to do it the decision makers have to make the most of their draft picks. The Bills, moreso than most teams, cannot afford to blow their R1-R4 picks. These players must form the core of their roster.
At some point within the first four rounds of the next two drafts I'm hopeful that the Bills will finally find their next franchise QB. Oh how badly this team is in need of another strong leader at QB like they once had when J. Kelly dominated the league.
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I don't have to see the opening day roster because in this uncapped year where so many would-be UFAs and now actually RFAs it changes the entire ball game for the Bills. There are so many critical holes to fill and so few opportunities to fill them this year because the numberof UFAs will be greatly reduced this year.
No quality starting QB, no quality starters at LT, RT, RG, no quality NT, too many players that don't fit the 3-4 scheme. All of this spells disaster for the Bills in 2010.
Nix has said himself that he cannot fix the holes that the team has currently in one year.
Given the FA situation that I've mentioned above he knows that it's going to take at least TWO complete drafts and TWO FA periods before the Bills will be respectable again.
There's no sense in going after big name FAs this year knowing all of that. The two year plan unfortunately means tanking it in year 1 in order to achieve the highly desired top 3-5 pick in the draft the following year.
That's how the Colts built up their team. They were fortunate to get a guy by name of P. Manning the year after they tanked it. SD did the same and got P. Rivers to help turn their fortunes around.
I'm thinking that 2011 is when Nix/Whaley/Gailey are hoping to claim their franchise QB.
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PTR, it's funny that you say that. I have actually been a contributor to this board as long as you have (and I know that you have been around for a long time). I just have chosen to read the posts that are made in recent yeas rather than respond to them as often as so many people do.I have actually written published articles for the Bills on this website and for Shout! on occasion.I remember the days when this board wasn't so secure and people used to make a farce of it by posting under various aliases. SDS has cleaned things up quick well and has added many features that we didn't have back then even just a few short years ago.My kids keep me very busy and are my priority.I'm definitely not some fly-by-night poster on this board. I genuinely care about the Bills because I was born and raised in the Buffalo area. My parents still live in the West Seneca area and most of my relatives still live in the Buffalo area.I have been a Bills fan my entire life (which is more than a few decades).Polian and Levy proved that it is possible to field a winning team in Buffalo. It will have to be done mostly through the draft, however, because the Buffalo climate is not something that FA players are going to flock to.
Polian drafted guys like J. Kelly, T. Thomas, B. Smith, A. Reed, D. Talley, and make shrewd moves to acquire the likes of C. Bennett, B. Paup and others. That's what it's going to take to turn this franchise around.
R. Wilson finally has some qualified people in place to make informed decisions in order to be able to turn this franchise around.
But if I'm being blatantly honest I see no possible way that they work that miracle this year.
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It is what it is.
The good news is that the Bills tanking it in 2010 may be the only way that they find themselves with a true franchise QB....maybe as early as 2011.
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The Bills are a lot worse already than the team that Jauron had. TO, Reed, Denney, Incognito among others are all gone.
No LT, RT, RG, NT.....the list goes on. No dependable starting QB. A brand new 3-4 alignment, but not enough of the right players to play it well.
If the Bills were seriously about contending this year they would be making trades and filling holes with FAs that meet their needs. Instead, they are doing nothing while then rest of the league snaps up all of the good players.
There's no doubt in my mind that they are tanking it this season (knowing that they can't possibly fill enough of their holes this year to compete for a division title).
Bills fans are in for a very bad experience this year unfortunately.
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Face it Bills fans, there's just no way that the firm of Nix, Gailey, and Whaley can fix what ails the team all in one year. It's apparent to me that they're not even going to try.
They have too many holes on the O-line (LT,RG,RT), at QB, and at WR to produce anything close to a decent offense.
Far too many square pegs for a round hole on the defensive end now that they've switched to a 3-4.
They can't get the OLs, the quality starting QB, the NT and DTs, and the LBs that they need to be competitive. Nobody wants to come to Buffalo.
I think they're going to tank it this year by signing only no name FAs that won't make much of a difference in hopes of gaining a really high draft position for year 2.
The bottom line is that the Bills simply will not have the premier players where they need them to compete with other teams. We'll have T. Thigpen or T. Edwards at QB while the Pats will have T. Brady. There's just no comparison there.
Expecting Gailey to win with what he will have will be next to impossible.
The Bills are going to have to build their team through the draft for the most part (just like the Sabres have). They should be looking to stockpile draft picks and trade down when possible to obtain more picks. Then and only then will they have some leverage to obtain the quality players that they need to be competitive and to actually win.
It really sucks to be a Bills fan right now. The writing is on the wall.
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It's getting to midnight and I expect the Bills to make a lot of moves. Don't be surprised to see the Bills sign or trade for their fair share of SD Charger players of Nix's familiarity with them.
DT J. Williams seems like a very strong candidate for our need at NT in the 3-4. With Williams in the fold the Bills can draft a young DT in R2 or later to develop and use for depth purposes.
QB W. Whitehurst is another player who is said to be on the Bills' radar.
There are a lot of good players available in FA. Hopefully, the Bills will be very proactive and look to fill some holes right away.
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There's no doubt that the Bills should seriously consider trading down in R1 to get more high picks. The only way that you don't do that if you're the Bills is if you believe that a franchise QB will be available or that yuo won't be able to draft a franchise LT later in R1.
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With Butler now out of the picture it is imperative that the Bills fill both starting OT spots with capable players. This has to be a very high priority.
I would fill the LT spot with our R1 pick and sign a vet FA like C. Clifton to play RT. Then draft another OT later in the draft for depth purposes.
The O-line would then be the following:
LT R1
LG Wood
OC Hangartner
RG Incognito
RT Clifton
Backups:
OT Bell, draft pick
OG Levitre
OC Wood.
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No friggin' way!!
Culpepper is just a sack ready to happen.
There are much better options for the Bills.
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DarthIce, I agree with you. I think the Bills are finally on the right track again.
Nix is essentially an extension of AJ Smith and he's a national scout with a plethoria experience with regard to evaluating players and coaches. he knew what he wanted and he went out and got it.
Believe it or not, there was a time when C. Gailey was a very hot commodity. The Cowboys hired him, B. Cowher hired him and recommended him to be the HC of the Steelers when he resigned. That says a lot of Gailey's credentials.
Nix has brought in Whaley from the Steelers, who could eventually be his successor, but will provide a lot of insight and scouting experience himself. if nothing else, he'll be a strong adviser to Nix and Gailey.
The Bills finally seem to have a good plan. They finally have somebody who is a respected play-caller.
I'm very anxious to see what moves are made in FA and in the draft.
"Look I have been in Ralph's ass as much as anyone" - Would you care to rephrase that??? LOL.
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I'm starting to think that the smart move might be to try to turn this thing around in two years rather than trying to do it all in one year.
The front office needs to take a hard look at what starting positions can be filled realistically through draft and FA both this year and next year. For instance, there's very little chance to fill our LT spot via FA this year so we must fill that all-important spot via the draft this year (via our R1 pick). B. Parcells once said that a successful offense needs a stud LT to be any good. The other four spots are much easier to fill. We must get our stud LT while we have the chance via the draft.
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There's a chance that Edwards could be the starting QB since the Bills have so many holes to fill and a new defensive scheme to man properly. Nix/Whaley/Gailey could be operating on a two plan. This year they improve both the O-line and D-line. The following year they go after their QB.
I think the Bills can fill their starting LT spot for the next 5-10 yrs via their R1 pick and their starting NT via FA (among other starting spots). Unfotunately, the Bills may not be able to get their starting QB for the future until the following year.
It may be unrealistic to expect the Bills to fill all of their holes in just one year. I don't know about you, bu the two year plan would be acceptable to me.
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Our needs are as follows:
#1 LT
#2 QB
#3 NT
The Bills must fill all three starting positions.
One scenario the Bills could follow would be to not give up any picks this year for a vet QB or even draft a QB very high (rounds 1-4) while waiting until next year to fill the starting QB spot.
By doing that, they could concentrate on building up their O-line and D-line/LBs.
Until the Bills acquire a stud LT it's not really going to matter who starts at QB because he's not going to have much of a chance.
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This is pretty easy really. If the Bills have any sense at all they will make it a priority to acquire a stud LT since their offense will not function well without one. Most likely, that player will come from the draft in R1.
Levitre is not a LT (but he does play one on TV and can play the position at the pro level in a pinch).
I see our O-line shaping up as follows for 2010:
LT R1 pick (too important)
LG Wood
OC Hangartner
RG Incognito (will be resigned because he's very good and reasonably priced)
RT Butler/Bell/J. Scott/Meredith/vet FA
Levitre will be the primary backup at the OG positions. Wood will be the backup OC. Bell will be the backup at the OT positions. J. Scott may also be a backup OT.
Unfortunately, the Bills can't afford to draft an OT is both R1 and R2 because they have too many other needs. I think they are set as mentioned above from LT to RG, but the RT spot will be undecided for awhile and will be up for grabs for most of training camp.
To answer the question the was orginally raised, the starting RT will likely be either Butler, Bell or a vet FA.
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Incognito is a very good player. Resign him
I'd resign Owens (who could have a big year with Gailey calling the plays and making him the go-to guy). Resign him for no more than $3M/yr. If the Bills trade for McNabb there could be a problem.
Resign B. Scott. He has good size and is a very physical SS. He also covers the bigger TEs well.
I'd release Reed, Denney, Stupar, Simmons, Ellison, and McKinney.
Keep Youboty, Schouman, and Draft for depth.
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For sure I think we'll see the Bills acquire or draft some DT types for the new 3-4 alignment. That's an area where we don't have a lot of the type of players that we need to play the new scheme effectively.
Like some have said, we seem to have plenty of potential OLBs for the 3-4 and we have Mitchell, Poz, and possibly Draft to play the ILB spots.
What we need is a space-eating NT and at least one DT to keep the opposing OLs off of our LBs so that the LBs can run free to the ball.
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I'm glad to hear that. I know that he looked considerably bigger and more muscular this past year than the year before.
He has seemed to be very injury prone, but with the added size/strength and bigger DLs projected to be in front of him there's a good chance that he will be more effective and still healthier longer. We need him to be on the field all season long.
I really think he is better suited for the 3-4 as an ILB than the 4-3 as a MLB.
If he's at 250 lbs then he's already got the size that he needs to play the ILB spot in the 3-4.
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Campbell is certainly better than any QB we have now on the roster, except for maybe Brohm, who still needs a chance to show what he can do.
I would be open to trading for Campbell, but that would be very much dependent upon the price. I would consider a R3 or R4 for him, but nothing more.
If we were to acquire Campbell, we would then have the following QBs to compete for the starting QB spot:
Campbell
Edwards
Fitzpatrick
Brohm.
Brohm would certainly still be given a chance to compete for the starting QB spot so what could it hurt to bring in Campbell??
While the Bills do need a better option at the starting QB spot, they also need to fill (maybe even more so) the all-important starting LT spot. That's why we can't afford to trade out of R1 or select a QB in R1 without selecting a LT in R1.
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The new coaching staff still needs time to evaluate Kelsay and the other DLs. Kelsay is obviously too small to play in the new 3-4 on the D-line, but might be able to transition to the 3-4 OLB spot along with Schobel and C. Ellis.
For sure the Bills are planning to put a bigger front seven on the field in 2010. A big part of that will be having much bigger OLBs on the field.
Since the Bills only have so many resources available to them to make the changes that are needed to field a 3-4, improve the QB position, and improve the O-line, they more be forced to make due with guys like Schobel, Kelsay, Maybin, and Ellis to play OLB in their new 3-4. They're not going to just start cutting these guys until they know for sure what they can do as OLBs in the 3-4.
I think Scobel will be a very good OLB in the 3-4. He played the standup LB position in college and was very good at it. He will be a bigger force for us in the 3-4 than he was in the 4-3 because he'll mostly be taking on RBs, FBs, and TEs instead of much bigger OTs. I think Maybin has a very good chance to get on the field as an OLB in the 3-4 as well. He's taylor-made for it. I'm not sure that he fits in any other position in any other alignment better than he does as an OLB in the 3-4.
Could Maybin prove to be the poor man's version of C. Bennett?? The Bills are certainly hoping so.
I'm not sure that Kelsay and Ellis can transition to OLBs in the 3-4, but they at least have the size and quickness to do so.
Guys like Palmer, Corto, Ellison, DiGiorgio, and Harris are way undersized and may not be given much of a chance to stick around as a result.
Of that group, I'd like to see the Bills try to keep Harris and bulk him up to play OLB in the 3-4 because I think he has outstanding quickness and above average instincts to play LB in the NFL.
While we're at it, Mitchell is already a solid ILB for the 3-4. He has very good size, quickness, instincts and toughness to play the position. Poz is best suited to play ILB in the 3-4 rather than MLB in the 4-3, but may need to bulk up to the 245 lb range to be effective. He's currently around 238 lbs so that's very doable.
With all of the needs that the Bills have I think it will be difficult for them to try to acquire a whole slew of potential starting LBs. Today, they could start Schobel, Mitchell, Poz, and Maybin, which could turn out to be a pretty good group.
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Unless the Bills can get a veteran starting caliber LT prior to the draft they will almost certainly use their R1 pick to select one of the top LTs available.
Of course, if Bradford does slip to #9 overall, which could happen, then the Bills might have a tough decision to make depending upon how good they think he really is.
I'm all for selecting a top notch QB before any other position, including LT, but only if the Bills feel like he will be our starting QB for the foreseeable future (i.e. the next 5+ years). If Bradford is viewed as somewhat risky, then I would prefer that the Bills select a LT in R1 and try to acquire a vet QB like McNabb via trade.
Look at it this way, if the Bills select a LT in R1 most likely that player will be very solid for the next 5-10 years and will serve to solidify the O-line for ANY new QB who is made the starter.
If they select Bradford in R1 they may not be able to fill the all-important LT spot (since they are very difficult to find - there really none available as UFAs in 2010), which means that Bradford won't have much of a chance to succeed no matter how good he is.
I really think the best way to go is to trade for a proven vet QB like McNabb (i.e. give up a R3 or R4 in 2010 plus a cond. pick in 2011), trade down in R1 to acquire an added R2 pick, then select a starting caliber LT in the mid first round. Then sign NT C. Hampton or V. Wilfork to fill the starting NT spot in the new 3-4.
If we can accomplish just those three things we will be a much improved team in 2010.
THE BILLS WILL NOT DRAFT TEBOW.....BECAUSE
in The Stadium Wall Archives
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Whether Tebow plays for the Bills or some other team from everything that I've seen he's probably going to be a very successful QB in the NFL.
He had great athleticism and a strong arm. His mechanics can be tweaked if need be to improve the quickness of his release.
The guy is a flat out winner. He wins because he has a lot of confidence in himself and inspires confidence in others.
He also has a tremendous attitude and is willing to work as hard as is necessary to succeed.
He is a real pleasure to listen to and I would love to see the Bills steal him in R3 of the 2010 draft.