EmotionallyUnstable

The numbers to tag Levitre are ridiculous. He is a good player but giving him starting tackle money (9 mil) through a franchise tag is heavily overpaying him. Byrd's number for a tag is about 6 million, much more realistic for his ability.

we must be best friends.

Hate that people get pro bowl selections purely as a popularity contest.

Nice thought. Like to see a generous donation in sacks, TFL's, tackles, etc.

I'm going to add CJ here. He deserved it as well.

Anyone surprised? Byrd and Levitre both got screwed...

Wait you must of misunderstood me... I meant to say keep Chan, Fitz and Wanny.

I like that you're thinking out of the box. It's going to take some mix ups to get this team going. However, let's be a little more realistic! Personally, I'd love to see the Bills acquire a DC with at least some sort of coaching experience. I'm sure some of the people here at TBD are equally as qualified as Talley.

Wait...people think Byrd is not worth a franchise tag of 6 mil?!? He's a top free safety in the NFL. Regardless of his numbers (which are great), Byrd is constantly around the ball, supplying good coverage and is a reliable defender. This dude is worth the money IMO, 6 million is a steal for this guy.

We should just cut all the QB's on the roster and have Gailey play, ya know, show us how it's done.

With Mario and Anderson hopefully filling our 3 down needs next season at DE, I'd like to take a shot at a project kid like Thomas. If you look at his physical ability, it appears limited. Not the fastest off the edge or the most physically gifted. However, he knows how to rush the passer and contains/compresses the football well. A good size for a 3-4 outside backer, hard work in the weight room can add 20 lean lbs to his frame making him a viable option as a pass rushing, 3rd down DE. Thomas' Pros: -hand placement -weight control -reliability in containing the edge/compression -shed ability/technically sound Thomas' Cons: -Not ideal speed off the edge -Currently undersized for DE (6'4 240) -A project transforming to 4-3 DE There are many needs for this Bills in this off season. I think picks like Thomas can add needed depth to a defense that has shown some good spurts but is unreliable. Given the right opportunity and coaching,With a good head on his shoulders, Thomas could be a defensive force the Bills can transform into a reliable and sound role player.

To the OP, was there any mention of Free Agency in your post? Teams become elite through both the draft AND free agency. Though I wish every player we picked could be the answer, it takes outside guys to come in and complete the puzzle.

Thank you. I cannot stand the hype. Just wish people would do their own research and not buy into 'expert' opinions!

II believe we would waste our first round pick rolling the dice on a QB. Beef up our D. Outside backer please. Someone with a nose for the ball and a physical specimen.

Glad to hear we share similar view points on statistics. Anyone can read a stat. It takes time and effort to truly know your players. and I don't want to CC Dave. I wouldn't want to distract him from packing his bags...

Thanks man. Couldn't agree more about K.Moore really limiting linebacker play. He needs to go, for sure. Curious, what do you see in Sheppard?

^^^money.

There has been much chatter on TBD about who to cut, who to sign and so on. A lot of it I seem to agree with. However, some people in certain cases rely too heavily on productivity, statistics and results. Tackles, points and rankings are good assessments for a defense, yes. But it is difficult to judge an individual player on this alone. This being said, I would like to argue that our biggest need, by far, is Outside linebacker. Positional roles in a 4-3 scheme are crucial to overall success. Frankly, many players on our defense do not play how scheme intends them to...Positionally, lets look at responsibilities of the front seven in run defense based on our 4-3 scheme. -Defensive Tackles: Must penetrate LOS and keep guards/center off our linebackers leaving them free to scrape -Defensive ends: Must compress and contain the football, forcing it inside to our scraping backers -Mike: Usually responsible for B to B gaps, should scrape closed doors and fill open windows -Sam: Meet lead blockers @ LOS, head on, keeping the flow dead in its tracks. -Will: Fill, fill, fill, often unblocked in run game. Must make plays!!! **In football, the Will is the hardest player to block...he is often removed by formation, or left unaccounted for to get lost in traffic. Buffalo's problem? There is no outside linebackers who can properly fill these roles. Too often is Sheppard (Mike) filling holes and eating guards. When this happens, we rely on guys like Bryan Scott and Nick Barnett to make plays. You think this is an accident? This is strategy. Teams feed off of this. i think if we acquire an outside backer who has a nose for the ball and is not afraid to blow up a 300 lb guard, our defense will greatly improve. I would love to see Kelvin Sheppard roam free in the middle. He makes good reads, is a reliable tackler and a defensive leader. Not a 3 down guy, but don't count this guy out. He does a lot more than make tackles. I am not spit balling here. But I will not pretend to know it all. This is merely my take. After 4 years of a collegiate career in football, I know a fair share of the x's and o's. I'd love to hear everyone's take on this. So do we really need a MLB? or is lack of execution in our scheme camouflaging our problems...

Some very good points are being made about players. However, I think many people disregard scheme and rely too heavily on statistics. I will be starting a new thread on 4-3 scheme and why I believe our defense is hurting against the run. I encourage you all to read it and respond because I am very interested to hear other opinions. I will entitle it "4-3 scheme"

Hard to argue the numbers, but correct me if I'm wrong. If a defense is 31st in the league against the rush and the QB cannot be stopped from running the ball, it's the Mike's fault? Not in my eyes, especially in a 4-3. Those D tackles need to keep guards off of our linebackers and they frankly do not. Sometimes, they are blocked INTO our Mike. Yes, he is partially to blame but Shep does his fair share of role playing. He often seems to eat up guards and get to the ball at the LOS, but not necessarily making the play. This leaves the door WIDE open for outside backers to fill. When your outside backers are invisibe, here lies the problem. **This was our main problem against the run yesterday (IMO) In regards to the QB rushing the ball, do you mean to say in a read option, scramble, what? A 4-3 Defense needs capable outside backers, which unfortunately, Nix/Gailey/Wanny forgot about.

Was I watching a different game than everyone else yesterday? Sheppard seems to be the only linebacker on the roster. I never said he was a starter or the most athletic, but he gets to the balls. Here is my reasoning...Barnett is terrible, makes wrong reads and looks like he has cinderblock feet. Bryan Scott, well, no n need explaining here. I don't think Bradham is all that bad. The numbers don't show it, but when I watch him play, he scrapes and fills open holes well (but they take him off the field too oftten). Point being, shep may not be the guy in the future, but he is a consitantly solid tackler, big presence in the middle, a leader of the defense and knows how to make a read. Are you really going to scrap 3 of our 4 'starting' LB's? No way.

I believe I heard this 10 years ago

don't burn your tickets...give them to a poor Bills fan. (hint, hint)

I cannot believe were having this conversation...Not even remotely close.

amen.