RealityCheck

Wow. The Seahawks provide some amazing matchup problems. Good for them.

From what I have seen in Fitz and every other QB in the playoffs last year, I am quite confident that Fitz will never win a Super Bowl regardless of the supporting cast. He can't make the surgical downfield passes that you absolutely have to make to even get there. Every defense this past year played closer and closer to the line because Fitz simply can't make you pay for doing it. The idea that we should have run more makes sense on the surface until you realize that defenses played base defense regardless of the Bills alignments and crowded the line with 8 and 9 in the box. The book on Fitz is well documented at this point. Why keep him just to win enough games to not be in position to draft a promising QB. I would rather see them lose every game then do just enough to get in the playoffs and be 1 and done. I watched their 4 SB losses like many here. Simply making the playoffs is BS to me. I understand that my attitude in this regard is a little extreme, but I think that some people are kidding themselves that simply appearing in the playoffs is some sort of accomplishment. Believe me, if they pull a one and done many fans will be far more disappointed than if they tanked hard and drafted a proper QB as a result. 2nd place is the first loser. Always has been.

I am not against getting a true NT at all. Getting a good one is the problem. Any defense would benefit from a stud NT lined up over the center. The problem is getting someone who can actually do that kind of dirty work, will want to keep doing it, and then stay healthy enough to impact the entire season. It's funny how Wilfork pops up in the responses when there is no chance of us getting him. He also represents a truly rare player. You don't design a scheme around a guy like that unless he is already on your roster. Wilfork is rarely used as a 2-gapper anymore and has been used at end on occasion when the Pats went into a 3 man front. Sure, you can plug any number of big DTs into the zero, but what good is it if they aren't good at it. I hope we draft a good DT myself, but to assume that guy is going to succeed as a true 2-gap NT is asking for trouble. Parcells had his planet theory about NTs, and those guys are even more rare today.

The only people that still harp on the stale "true 3-4 NT" argument are the ones that don't understand the difference between 2-gap /1-gap schemes. Almost nobody plays the zero technique anymore for a reason. Few of todays players can do it and stay healthy enough to make it to a proper FA contract while taking on a double teams 50 to 60 times a game. These guys are too rare to base a scheme around unless you get really lucky in the draft. Where are these magical behemoths to man the middle against todays monster O-lines?

Boldin is one of my favorite players to watch, he is simply great. As another poster pointed out however, in a year or two he will likely hang it up and retire. If the Bills came up short in the playoffs last year it would be a no brainer, but he will retire before the Bills even sniff the playoffs. I am for the youth movement at receiver.

Those are meaningless stats. Most young RBs struggle with ball security early and often. The question really isn't was Steven Jackson an awesome RB. Of course he was. But a 30 year old RB of any stature simply will not be coveted the way a promising young RB on his rookie contract will on a playoff team that has been riding close to the salary cap. I am with you that SJ in the right situation this year could easily be a key piece for a playoff contender. However, Ridley is just getting started, and his Championship game performance easily eclipses AP's first Championship game if we are talking about fumbles, yet the young AP has continued to grow from that into a true monster despite injury. Ridley is likely to grow from his experience as well in his own way. Putting it in perspective I am so happy we get to watch Spiller play for the Bills.

Good for Leodis. Press man and a few blitzes will get him going early.

This is part of why I don't understand the concern over not talking to Levitre yet. We all know he wants to test the market and can do so with an opportunity for the Bills to respond to it rather than them setting the floor for the negotiation in the first place.

The problem with Harrison is what about next year? He is close to the end of his career.

Stephen Jackson in the right situation is still quite valuable. I don't understand comparing him to AP in a positive sense just to knock Ridley for a fumble in the Championship game. If you follow that train of thought to conclusion then how do you judge AP's atrocious fumbles in the Vikings Championship game a few years back with Favre. In that light Ridley's CG performance should not be a paraphrase of his current and future value either.

Devito is way too small.

It is amazing what people spend to watch a fraction of the available content. It's like buying a loaf of bread just to nibble on a crumb and throw it away.

EJ looks like a real player to me too. If the Bills take him at #8 I will be happy.

What every football fan wants in a QB is so irrelevant because you draft a person, not a collection of attributes. Said player will lead a team to a Super Bowl win or he will not. No one actually knows who that is until it happens.

I can't imagine the Bills paying Fitz over 7 million dollars in REAL money knowing that he is not the guy at this point. If it were my money I would cut him. This year's cap hit is a function of dead cap money, not real money. P*****g millions of dollars of real cash away again on Fitz is a complete waste. I'd rather save 7 million and have a fresh start at the QB position than pay the money to have another 6-10 season and be out of range for a top QB next year if this years draft doesn't cut it.

Yes you can.

Exactamundo. How much is this guy actually worth on the open market? We shall see. I would prefer a TE to play his old role anyways just to have the option of staying in to block or flexing out into the slot.

The most underutilized aspect of Leodis' is the fact that they didn't have him blitz. I think if he is resigned and kept inside that his speed and athleticism would make him a dangerous blitzer a few times a game. I think that it would help his confidence a ton if given the opportunity to not just cover, but also hit the QB from time to time. If he is retained I believe Pettine will be quick to send him to the QB in the right down and distance, among other players too of course. I have never understood teams that have a struggling CB and don't give them an opportunity to blitz to help mix it up instead of keeping them on an island and getting abused the entire game.

I think you've had enough already.

McKelvin is black?

It depends on who's driving.

The only incentive for Fitz to restructure is that if he loses the QB competition this Summer against TJax and a possible high draft pick he will be cut at a time that will make it almost impossible for him to slide into a starter job elsewhere before the season starts. The odds of a team outside of B-lo giving him the keys to the Ferrari even today is highly unlikely. If he renegotiates now he could still hedge his bet and slide into a back-up role for a few million a year if he struggles over the Summer. Guessing how Fitz views it is still a waste of time though. Who knows how he views himself or what his long/short term plans are. For all we know he wants to be cut now, get what's left of the guaranteed, and sign with another team in time for OTAs. Fitz is a competitor, but he is not a winner. 2 very different things.

I don't care where Nelson plays. He is a generic slot receiver w/o any deep speed or physicality to his game considering his size.

This is a peculiar thread. The players that Nix has let go are lousy as of today. How good they were a year or two ago is irrelevant. I also don't understand the reference to these players as being core players. That may have been a TBD interpretation of reality for some, but the fact that they are no longer with the team speaks to how the front office truly views these guys. Nelson may be tall, but he plays rather small. Jones is a guy that will always be close to make a big play when it counts, but doesn't. Wilson is done. Barnet is done. Kelsay is retired. As for Levitre, no one wants to see this guy go. But how much money do you give a G when C is up next year, and depending on the play of Glenn, LT may be on the table the year after. As for Fitz, he will likely get cut sooner than later. Nix truly purged the lineup when he came in, to believe that is happening now doesn't seem to quite add up. The players that are currently gone have already played their best football.

When did they cut Nelson?