Gabe Northern

In addition to pointing out that it was an award ceremony story, I'd like to add that I really like the perspective of Sal and Leo. They tell it like it is. I'll never forget the podcast from training camp last year when they were laughing that there was no way Walker could play LT based on what they saw in practice and how the team was in total disarray. At the same time, the Buffalo News reporters were repeating the nonsense that this was a "playoffs or bust" season.

Modrak ran the draft last year and this year, so no reason to believe there'd be any difference. Beyond Dick Jauron's insane personnel preference for college safeties at LBs and desire to stockpile DBs, the rest of this team is product of Tom Modrak's draft grades, as was this year's draft class. Modrak wanted 'roidhead Cushing, but he had Maybin ranked as his #1 pass rusher. Felt Orakpo took too many plays off. This year, he loved Spiller, which is eerily familiar to the time he felt we couldn't pass on McGahee at 23 overall. Two years ago, Modrak had McKelvin ranked highest on his board for CBs. He turned out to be the worst of the 3 CBs taken, although Talib is enough of a headcase that I can give him a pass for that one. Three years ago, Modrak gave Poz a mid-1st round grade. We had to give up a 3rd rounder to trade up to get him at 34. Of course, David Harris and LaMarr Woodley both turned out to be the better pros and both were available at our original pick.

Do you know any 70 year olds? Interact with them at work? To the extent they're still in the workplace, they've obviously lost something off of their fastball. Yes, he's had success and he knows players. That's why he'd be a great consultant/senior adviser. But running the show? A 70 year old around the auto biz his whole lief wouldn't get a job as GM of an auto parts plant. But as GM of an NFL team it makes perfect sense? COme on.

This is an outrageous post. The point is not that he's a first time GM, it's that he's a 70 YEAR OLD first time GM. How convenient to disregard that. He'd make sense as a senior adviser, but running the show for the first time at 70? You think that makes sense? Secondly, I love the insistence that low probability events are the norm. People no one wants have a low probability of success. How wonderful of you to find the one or two instances where the opposite occured. Of course, this does not somehow invalidate the proposition that someone no one else wanted is less likely to succeed than someone other teams wanted. Finally, I get this aversion to the views of the national media and appreciate your point about commentating rather than doing, but how many years in row of the media ridiculing the Bills' picks and the media being right before you accept that the Bills' decisions have been so wrong so consistently that second-guessing the Bills is like shooting fish in a barrel for these guys that know little about the team? "Just know the Bills don't know what they're doing, make some points criticizing them, and you're all set" is really all a national commentator needs to know.

Please. Hangartner was awful all season long. TiVo the games. Watch the way he was immediately stood up on all running plays. Was Demetrius Bell looking good before the injury? Did that ruin the fantastic play we would have otherwise have had out of the left tackle? What about RT? Did you like what you saw out of Brad Butler in NE? How did you like the decision to sign Jamon Meredith while Jon Runyan was available? Levitre could barely hold his own during the start of the season. He improved greatly and I am encouraged about next year. Wood had similar progression, but may not come back until mid year, I'm afraid. To suggest this commentor embarassed himself is really asinine. You're well-informed but ridiculously optimistic daily posts on this message board honestly make me wonder whether your work for the organization.

4 QBs, 5 tackles? No. But I think your defense is pretty close to what we'll carry. Schobel doesn't come back and Antonio Coleman makes it instead. Probably Harris gets cut since we no longer like the ABSOLUTELY FREAKING INSANE idea of converting college S to LB and Lankster makes the team instead.

We're not trading for Gaither. He won't sign for less than $12 M guaranteed and trading a top 45 pick to pay his lazy ass that kind of money would be too much of an admission that sending Peters on his way for the 28 overall pick and change was a bone-headed decision.

You're crazy, yo. Stroud is 32. Dwan Edwards is 28 with a history of neck injuries that makes him 35. Spencer Johnson and Kyle Williams are 27 and 28, but they've reached their ceiling. What you see is what you get. Maybe Troup can play but maybe he's another John McCargo. Maybe Carrington will be good, but he's rarely faced elite competition. We need "some of our de/olb guys work out" just to field a roster, as we have no OLBs, just a bunch of guys we hope can play there.

Favorite was beat out by Lonnie Harvey. Favorite is better suited for the 3 in a one-gap scheme.

Lonnie Harvey was great in college. He just gets a little winded. Perfect player to get 10-15 1st or 2nd down snaps. Honestly, the guy can play.

Man, the Bills' D is awesome. Playmakers galore. Best DE, second best DT, second best MLB. KINDA WEIRD THAT WE GAVE UP 1,200 RUSHING YARDS IN 6 DIVISIONAL GAMES IN 2009, ISN'T IT

Trent was awful last year, but I just love how the hate is directed at him instead of our front office. We had a guy who looked like he could be a decent starting NFL quarterback and decided to cut our starting LG, trade our Pro Bowl LT with no Plan B in place, blow up the right side of our line, "upgrade" at C by getting the cheapest guy available who was so good in Carolina they used a 2nd on Ryan Kalil, and then cut our LT after the start of the season because Ralph wasn't paying a back-up $3 m per year because Lord knows you don't need depth in the NFL. We decided to add a degree of difficulty to this by trying to run a no-huddle, fired our offensive coordinator, elevated the QB coach to become a first-time coordinator and then, of course, never filled the QB coach position so Trent had to deal with all of this with no position coach. Yep, what we need is a new QB.

Good stuff. They could be doing other things, like playing Defensive End, which is their natural position. Or maybe something else entirely in those cases where they don't belong in the NFL. But I'm sure Chris Kelsay will have no problem switching over to OLB. Same with Aaron Maybin, who wasn't given a chance there last year because of how bad he looked at the position. But yeah, we're all set.

Exactly. Gotta love the false hope people on this board derive from Dick Jauron's ability to lose close.

Remember the intense training camp battle between him and some other guy to see who would be deactivated for most games during the season and who would get cut? That was awesome.

While it might not be the "weak unit," people need to tone down their expectations for this D. We have zero OLBs on the roster. Kawicka moved inside. Maybin might work at OLB but was so clueless last year they had Bryan Scott play over him. I don't see how Kelsay makes the switch. Ditto for Ellis. That leaves Schobel, who doesn't look like he's coming back unless he gets some kind of Favre/Roger Clemens type deal, which isn't happening. So who's going to start? Maybin and hopefully, a converted DEs we drafted in the 6th round. I have high hopes for Batten (and Moats, who should be moved outside) but that's scary as hell. Then consider that no one on our line (except for Dwan Edwards) has ever played their new position.

No, actually the team does suck. Dick Jauron's entire loser game plans consisted of trying to keep it close in the hope of pulling it out in the end.

But your overall assessment is right on.

We don't have an OLB on the roster. Probably, you know, something to think about before falling in love with this front 7. Oh, and neither of our starting DEs have ever played the "5." Oh, and neither of our NTs have ever played that position in a 3-4 either. But yeah, things are looking great.

Pretty good summary, but I think the draft depends on Troup. Everyone assumes he can play, but most national scouts seem to think he was a 3rd rounder nabbed in the early 2nd. If he sucks, the draft was a failure, unless Easley and the 2 6th round converted DEs turn out to be steals.

What about him not getting snaps at OLB last year when we had a crisis? They picked Bryan Scott over him? That said nothing about his ability?

The way the coaches are forcing him to earn the starting job is the only way he's going to rebuild the confidence necessary to rebound from an abysmal 2009. Talk of "no depth chart" etc. is what he needs. I totally understand why people hate Trent, as his play in 2009 was incredibly frustrating. But as several people commented last year, the biggest problem with jettisoning Peters with no Plan B, breaking up the right side of the line, and the associated chaos with the offensive philosophy was that we wouldn't find out what we had in Edwards. All we found out about Trent in 2009 is that he is the last QB you want leading an offense with a poorly conceived scheme, frequent protection breakdowns, a rash of injuries, and no sense of identity. People are deluding themselves when they pretend to know that's all you'll get out of Trent with a coherent offensive system, better protection, and a head coach who knows what the hell he's trying to get out of his players.

So, we're sending a top 50 pick to Baltimore so we can get a left tackle that's nowhere near the raw talent of Peters, but every bit as lazy and unmotivated? And since his a RFA, we'd have to agree to pay him serious cash, probably, like $15 million guaranteed for openers, which is just a bit higher than the $25 million in guarantees Peters got, and maybe $7-$8 million per year? And this is largely viewed positively, as a talent like Gaither would dramatically improve our team, even with the occassional blown assignments and questionable attitude? Hmmm...Maybe people took the whole Peters hold out a bit too personally...

Truly amazing to think that Bruce Smith recorded 200 NFL sacks playing as a 2-gap DE in this system. If they adjusted sack statistics for level of difficulty, he'd be thousands ahead of Reggie White.