KeisterHollow

The way I see it, the Bills are almost GUARANTEED to be able to pick one of: Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, and Tyler Wilson. Add Matt Glennon, Ryan Nassib, or EJ Manuel, and the Bills are certain to be able to get a QB this year who has better skills than anyone we have. People are arguing that any of the above mentioned QB's could be good in the NFL. They're comparing Wilson to Jim Kelly. So, I'm not too worried whether the Bills will get a guy. I just hope they have accurate evaluations and are willing to GO GET the one they like the most. Ask yourselfs this: Which is more valuable to a team, having - Dareus, Spiller, and Gilmore vs having Robert Griffin III? Sure, there is no QB comparable to Griffin, but the idea is, if you know you have a QB you can win with, is it worth trading some picks? I'd feel fine with Buffalo going something other than QB with the 8th pick and THEN trading back up to get someone like Nassib, Glennon, Manuel, or with great luck Wilson.

I've been puzzled by this as well. I recall Chan talking up these "mobile, accurate QB's" as the future of the NFL some four years ago. Yet, they passed on Kaepernick, and again on Wilson. I suspected that Nix has been rating the players according to an outdated value system. Those guys, ten years ago, would have been drafted a round or two later, and thus we "just missed". Or, Gailey was so arrogant that he believed, and proceeded to pay, Fitz so much that by the time Fitz was turning in poorer and poorer performances Gailey had no choice but to sink with him. I point to Gailey as the culprit there, because if it were Nix who was pushing Fitz I think Nix would be gone on account of it. I'd bet Nix said something like, "if he's really your man, you're going to sink or swim with him".

You know - I've been annoyed and against the way the NFL has changed over the past five or more years - the way the defenses are "handicapped" by the safety rules. I have to admit, though, that one angle I did not consider was how much punishment these guys are taking. I always sort of related it to specific, tragic injuries, or the concussion thing - but the slow, gradual wear and tear didn't really come into my consciousness as a major point for trying to make the game safer. Ryan Leaf comes to mind here - he played through college and was in the pros for a brief time. At that time I would bet he was being prescribed narcotic pain medicine fairly regularly. Now, if he was genetically predisposed to becoming addicted to that stuff, getting off of those meds is akin to getting off heroin. I can easily see where that would be a MAJOR problem for a lot of athletes, and probably one that no one - especially the ones affected most by it - want to talk much about. Still - on the other hand - they're getting so much money you know that money comes at a price. I don't think I'd be as into football if they were to take most of the "violence" out of it. I'm already frustrated by the QB and WR protection in the league. I don't mean to be callous, but I think people want to see the violence, in an organized, fair way. It's in our blood. Perhaps one step in making things better would be for the pharm. companies to start making pain medicine that is as strong, but not addictive. I know there are compounds in nature that could be synthesized for that purpose - but you take the addiction away, and you take away a big profit. Anyway, thanks for the post!

I know I'll get a TON of crap for this - but I'm hoping we bring in Bart Scott. Here are my reasons: One - he was injured last year. I know his play is declining, but when healthy, he's still not a BAD linebacker. Two - if he's not really good, why bring him in? I happen to have watched and listened to him a few times these past 2 seasons, and I've come away VERY impressed by both his intelligence, and his ability to communicate. Now, if we're installing a system he knows like the back of his hand, getting him would both 1) be a decent stop gap, 2) have a coach ON THE FIELD, not to mention a very classy mentor for a very young defense, and 3) he'd be reasonably priced until we can draft a group like San Fran has in a year or two. That's what I think about that - I beleive we'll see Scott and Landry in Buffalo not long after F.A. starts, and I'd be very happy with those two moves.

I'll say this - if you're going to cut a guy like Kelsay, who would, I'd guess, play in about 30% of the snaps, while making close to 4-5 million a year, are you going to find another F.A. for equal or lesser money who would make more of an impact? Maybe - but, my guess is, with a draft like this one, where the D-line is so deep, you could draft a guy or two in the mid rounds and pay him less than a million a year, and with that kind of player you have the potential to strike gold. I believe that is where this defense is headed this year - out with the old, in with young players who are hungry, athletic, and if we bring in enough, some of them should stick.

From what I can tell, Buffalo just doesn't have the cap room to resign Levitre and Byrd - AND - to be able to go after big name F.A.'s. Part of the problem is the contract Fitzpatrick signed. Whether we keep him or dump him, he's getting like 8 or 9 million this year. So, when you look at where Buffalo could stand to add F.A.'s - LB, WR, TE, and QB - you almost have to forget about QB, unless it's a guy who is so cheap he probably would be less effective than Fitz (and whats the point in that?). If Buffalo signs Levitre, franchise tags Byrd, they'll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-10 million to work with, I think, after cutting the roster down a little. Now, if they get a young QB in the first or second round, a WR and LB, all in the first 2 or 3 rounds, that would leave them with the cap space to go and sign some viable LBer's - guys to get us by until we can draft better replacements. With the pay WR's and QB's are making, I think the only legitimate, difference making F.A.'s the Bills will be able to afford, in positions of need, would be LB or TE. And, frankly, I've looked at the college kids coming out in the draft, and ILB and TE are not very deep - there are about 5 of each that look to be good enough to be starters, whereas OLB, O-line, D-line, and WR are all deep enough to still get starters in the end of the 2nd round, and into the 3rd. Therefore, my strategy would be to get rid of some cap space on guys who just don't fit, or who are getting older. Resign Levitre, franchise Byrd, get a couple F.A. LBer's, maybe a TE (Jermichael Findley is my top wish there), and then in the first two rounds get a starter at LB, WR, and QB - I know, we'd have to trade back into a round, likely, to achieve that, but I think we could then spend the rest of the draft on guys with potential - LBer's, O and D lines. I'd also love it if Buffalo went after Oakland's F.A. WR - Louis Murphy - I think he'd be cheap enough, and I think he'd be a great 4th WR for us.

I want Jermichael Findley from Green Bay. He'll be a FA this offseason. That's my first option. Keller and Cook would be my second and third.

I would not object to this approach. At least it's aim is to get good at something.

Vick would no doubt be an upgrade - if he's got it in him to keep playing, and he's willing to work - he'd be noticeably better than Fitz. What concerns me most about Vick - going back throughout his career - if you look at his game ratings in chronological order, you see dramatic up and downs, almost game to game, so that it's impossible to say what performance you're going to get. I just would prefer a little more consistency - but, as I said, beggars can't be choosers.

His analysis does, I think, show that there are QB's to be had this year - and more than just 2 or 3. I also like Barkley, and agree, mostly, with his rankings. It tells me we should be set to get either Wilson, Barkley, or Smith at 8 this year. If we pass on them in favor of another position, the likes of Bray, or Manuel, or Nassib in round 2 are also nice. I think, though, if you go round 2 QB you hae to also bring in a Veteran.

The question is, how much is a good second string QB worth? Also, how much is Buffalo on the hook for either way - whether they keep or cut Fitz. If they can get him closer to the amount they'd have to pay without him, then it's about a win/win for Buffalo. Whatever they do with Fitz, they must get a QB within the first few rounds that is capable of STARTING.

I'm afraid that is a very unrealistic idea. The 2nd pick in the draft is way too valuable to give up for a player of Mario's caliber. Frankly, there are probably 8-10 DE's in the NFL as good or better than Mario. Not to mention, at 2 they could draft one of the top DE's coming out of college - which is a deep position this year - and pay the kid much, much less than Mario is getting. However, the idea of trading Mario to another team is not entirely out of the question - depending how he reacts to a new D.C., and a new system. If Mario is unwilling to adapt, or merely a bad fit, then trading him might become more realistic - but those 1st round draft picks are very coveted.

I like the spirit of the thread - but, it can be really hard, if not impossible - as are so many things on this site - to get down to objectively. All we're going to do is put in our opinions, and the roster, in six months, will be mixed up enough that any definitive projection of whether or not we're good will need to be, by then, revised. One of the problems with asking, "are we any good" is the issue of coaching. This is true - some coaching staffs get more out of players than others - so that the very same roster of players might achieve a 10-6 record with one coach, and a 6-10 record with another. Then you've got schedules, injuries, and schemes to consider. One way to get around a lot of these variables is to just say, on a scale of absolutely average to a perennial pro-bowl talent, where do our guys rank? Now, I've been writing my optimistic point of view on here for a while, and here it is again: I think our O-line has the talent (and I include potential here, too) to be a top 5 unit. In my opinion our line compares, when healthy, to most any in the league - which is to say it is more than just fine. I think our WR's are less than talented - as our top WR is more of a stereotypical #2 - more because his skill is not as much speed and jump balls (the AJ Green, Megatron mold) but more of a get open make a catch type. Frankly, numbering WR's is not real helpful, as, ideally, you'd like to have all your WR's capable of jumping, catching, and burning guys. On the whole - we need 2 WR's that are tall and fast, and can catch. As for TE - I think a better pass catching TE to go with Chandler would be good - not that Chandler can't catch, but a TE with more speed - like Findley or Davis - too. Our RB's would be welcome on any team in the NFL. Our QB's are the worst in the NFL, I believe. So, on offense, we're a QB, a few bigger WR's, and maybe a TE away from being as good as any offense in the NFL. That's probably 2 years away. However, a QB and WR this year could give us enough to get going pretty good. On defense, our D-line is as good as anyone's. I'm not as high on Mario Williams as some, but he is undeniably good. I just don't think he tries too hard to be great. Dareus and Williams are great. Our LB's stink. Bradham has some potential - he passes the eye test even for a team like San Fran (what I mean by that is he fits even their mold - big, agile). Depending on how we're using guys, someone like Moats would probably fit in on other teams. Still, LB is our glaring weakness on defense, and I'd like to see us add 2 or 3 more to the roster. The trouble is, the great defenses have 2 or 3 really excellent, 1st round talent at the LB position. For us to get real game-changers like that at LB is going to take a few years. Our secondary is good - and we're a consistent corner away from being one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Aaron Williams, for all we know, might end up being a great safety if he doesn't end up putting it together at corner. So, defensively, I think our team matches up with even the very good defenses, talent-wise, with the exception of LB's. Total prognosis: We need 1st or 2nd round talent added at QB, LB (2), WR (1-2), maybe CB. That is, no matter how you cut it, another 2 years of excellent drafting and good F.A. pickups away. However, if Marrone and Pettine can light a fire under their units, and if we keep the good ones we have, by this time next year we could be the next team on the rise with a half-decade of excellence to look forward to. Not too far off, but they'll have to turn over many more stones than usual to right the ship sooner than that.

I think you have to cut cords with Fitzpatrick. The only value he'd have is as a very good backup QB - but, he's not making backup QB money. He'd have to be willing to take a pay cut. The thing is, with Fitz, he's looked good in practice and sporadically, but the one thing you can count on is that he'll end up disappointing, or falling short. What the Bills need is a fresh start. They need to be a totally new offense next year - with a QB who is capable of making all the throws. I'm psyched about the idea of a recent era Saints meets old Bill's K-Gun offense; having Spiller, Jackson, and Johnson, with our O-line, gives us a good start. A couple of big, sure-handed WR's and a QB, and this is a difficult offense to match up with.

I think there are probably 3 QB's the front office would consider taking in the first round at 8 - Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, and Tyler Wilson; and probably in that order. If Barkley is there at 8, I think it would be very hard for Buffalo to pass on him - he's got all the experience, winning, and looks like he'd be a good NFL QB. But, as I've said before - I'd be happy with any of Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, Tyler Wilson, Ryan Nassib, Zac Dysert, Landry Jones, Mike Glennon, or Tyler Bray. I'd say all of them would be an upgrade over Fitz.

You know - I just checked the F.A. list for 2013, looking at WR's, and there are a few who would qualify as young enough to develop still, and good enough to make an impact now - like Louis Murphy, for instance. I loved this kid coming out of college - hoped we'd throw a 6th round pick at him, but we never went for him. I think he was a UDFA and went to Oakland. Of course, there are others like Devery Henderson, Bowe, Jennings - but I just can't see us breaking the bank for another WR. So, that is a good option - as WR's usually take a few years to break out.

I'm not sure I get it, either - as far as I see it, QB is our biggest priority. Sure, Fitz can play on some levels (that is, within 20 yars), but his limitations limit the entire offense/outcome of games. Secondly, I'd say our LB corps is in more drastic need of improvement than our WR corps. We need one big, fast WR who can jump and catch balls - a guy who could be had in probably the first 2 rounds, maybe 3rd. As I see it, our big needs could be filled if we had 3 picks in the first 2 rounds, and another before the end of the 4th - I'd go LB/QB with the first 2 picks - probably having to trade back into the bottom/middle of rd 1 to get a good option at whichever of the two was not selected first. In the second you get your WR - there should be some of the type we need still available then. And with the last pick before the end of the 4th round you get your other LB. So, I guess I agree with Nix - I just hope they make moves to try to get as many impact players this year as possible - because Marrone has to get off to a decent start - like at LEAST 8-8. Oh - and I've heard it said, or read it, many times these past few years - that LB's are simply not as big a priority anymore as they were ten years ago - because of all the nickel and dime packages played on defense. I disagree. Look at the really good defenses in the NFL - they've got the Goo Goblins (as Bart Scott would say) at LB - 49er's LBers are basically the NFC pro-bowl LB's! If the Bills could add 2 really talented guys - they've got to be studs, though - this defense would shoot right up to the top 5, I think. That shouldn't be overlooked - because a great defense can carry a team just as easily as a great offense; so, I might just go draft the guys that can bring whichever unit to greatness first, and fix the other the next year - as an alternative strategy.

I agree - I'm fine with Brandon - who just got given the keys to the kingdom - is doing what some might say is "homework" on any of a number of things that could apply to his position. I happen to have faith in Whaley, Nix, Marrone, and Pettine (who, btw, wouldn't have come to Buffalo if he didn't have the opportunity to mold his defense the way he wanted to; after all, this is his chance to show the world what HE is as a coordinator, out of the shadow of Rex Ryan) in their football and personnel knowledge. I'm comfortable in their combined desire to build a contender, their commitment to winning.

I ask this: why have a QB on the roster who you know is so limited he cannot be counted on to pull games out? That is what the Bills had on their dressing day roster last year. I say, if you're going to have backup QB's - you've got to have QB's with POTENTIAL. They've got to have that question mark about them - that possibility - that if they can reign in certain things they could be really good QB's. That's what I want Buffalo to have - and that is why I, too, want the Bills to draft 2 QB's this year. In this league, at this world-class level, any guy dressed and able to play on that roster should be able to do amazing things when called on. Those are the kinds of players I'd like the Bills to get more of - the "upside" guys, because it just seems like - albeit less now than 2 years ago - we have a part of our roster that we know needs upgraded, and that is the starters of the group.

I recall Adam Sheffler(?) being interviewed before the Championship game and he was asked who "won" the coaching caurosel, and he said that respected league people thought Marone would have the most success of the bunch. I'm sure you'll find every opinion in-between and none of them matter until the games begin they are all speculation only.

Keep an eye on Nassib and underthrowing - or making his WR's turn their bodies to adjust, and pull back, to underthrown - or behind thrown - balls. I saw it a lot when watching his games this year.

People are banging their heads because we didn't get him because at the time our best QB option couldn't even hit a WR in stride after 20 yards. I mean, we're so tired of the limitations Fitz had - he was good within 20 yards - that any QB who has a nice deep ball looks like a dream to us. Sure, he wasn't perfect, but to run a proficient NFL offense, the defenses have to respect the deeper parts of the field. Fitz took that away from us - not our opponents defenses - and that is one of two reasons the Bills crashed and burned last year. I agree - Cousins might not turn out to be much better than average. But, until we have an above average QB, the grass just looks so much greener... I am intruiged by Geno Smith - but I'm nervous about him, too. I'm actually warming up quite a bit to Barkley - because the more I watch him play, the more I see intelligent decision making, excellent passing (he hits his guys IN STRIDE), AND, he actually can throw the ball ACCURATELY beyond 40 yards - which, when you add it up, means he can do everything an NFL QB should be able to do. If we can get Barkley at 8, I think it would be fantastic. If he is not available, I'd rather take a 2nd round flyer on a guy like Dysert or Bray, or Jones. I'd say Nassib - but I think he goes before our 2nd pick, and I just think he's not quite good enough to merit our 1st pick. I've watched a lot of his 2012 games, and he quite often throws behind his WR'ers. That is the only thing about Nassib that scares me.

The more I look at this upcoming draft class, the more I think we should pick 2 WR's in the first 5 rounds - maybe earlier. I'd like it if we came out of the draft with 2 WR'ers, LB'ers, and QB's. Anyway, the draft has quite a few tall, fast WR'ers that are typically thought of in the mold of #1 types. I want to see us have a Saints type offense - when they were Super Bowl contenders - so that we can put 3 or 4 WR'ers out there and the defense will actually have to account for each of them. I can't imagine how great Spiller would be in that scenario, if the QB is capable of taking advantage of it. The way I see it, our O-line is excellent. We have a very good WR in Stevie, and a great RB tandem. We pick up 2 legitimate WR's and a speedier TE, and of course a legitimate QB, and this offense is gonna LIGHT IT UP! I really hope that is the way Marrone approaches this season - not trying to be "good", but rather trying to be GREAT.

I've said this before - the top picks before us aren't going to be loaded with QB's - and IF Smith, Barkley, and Wilson are gone before us at 8, that would mean some very good talent has dropped to us - which we'd be nuts to pass on. I've been touting this QB class as a good one for Buffalo, because I believe Buffalo will have it's choice of all but perhaps one QB when they pick at 8 - and, if they choose to wait until round 2, I believe there will still be 3 or 4 guys worth taking there anyway. I've gone back and watched more video of Nassib and some of the other QB's, and one thing about Nassib that scares me is this - a lot of his passes were thrown behind his recievers. Many of his passes were not the "in stride" type you'd like to see, but rather his WR'ers had to turn back, or slow down, to make the catch. A lot of times. That scares me some, because chances are the NFL recievers and speed will be much faster, and if he's got a miniscule problem with processing or gauging where to hit guys, it might show up much more in the pro's. That is why I'd really like the Bills to go for someone like Smith, Barkley, Wilson, or Dysert before they go for Nassib. But, that's just my opinion.

I think another part of NE's success is that they typically go after intelligent players - perhaps at the expense of superior physical talent. Because they know football is a team sport. If the guys on the field actually understand the principles they're being taught, and are intelligent enough to know their function in the whole, then you've got a 11 brains functioning in one body. I applaud them for that. Having Brady as the unquestioned leader doesn't hurt, either. That is what I've been hoping for in Buffalo since our glory days - intelligence, and a killer instinct. And, coincidentally, those are the two things I like most about our new staff - Marrone comes off as very intelligent, and Pettine has a very nice killer instinct.