yungmack

Add in character issues. There was a reason he wound up runnin' and shootin' in Hawaii.

Yep, last year was a very good draft for the Bills. It was also the first where Buddy Nix had considerable influence. I await the Nix haters comments.

Well stated. It sums up my own feelings about the available QBs this year, and the real needs the Bills have to address right now. Even if Clausen or Bradford were universally accepted by all the scouts and pundits as "can't miss franchise QBs," -- which I don't believe they are by a mile -- their chances for success behind the O-line as it stands today would be somewhere between astronomical and impossible. Add in the TE situation where Nelson (if he stays healthy) is essentially a rookie, a running game that is one injury to Fred Jackson away from non-existent, to a WR corps that is nothing more than the under-achieving Evans and a couple of guys with extremely limited experience, a defense that is undergoing a change-over (and short a proper NT) with a so-so linebacking corps and a secondary built for the Tampa Two, and what you're basically doing is guaranteeing your supposedly "game-changer QB" will become another gunshy, babbling, run-for-your-life mess. Yes, the Bills need a "franchise QB." But this year isn't the year for one (and, realistically, none are available anyway). The Bills must pick players who can contribute RIGHT NOW, not in two or three years. And that means O and D linemen, WRs, another RB, linebackers, and, in my opinion, even a stouter secondary. Realistically, they can only address some of these needs this year, so they must make do with what they have for now.

I should have said, in my post a couple above, that trading the #9 (and probably others) for an established QB is not at all out of the question. But I think they're going to go linemen first, with either Brohm or Edwards as the QB.

Whomever they pick, the Bills are going to need AT LEAST their top 3 picks to contribute immediately. So, the key reason I don't think they will use the #9 pick on a QB is that he will not contribute this year, whether Clausen or Bradford (who are the only two QBs remotely close to being worth a #9 or better). If you look at teams where rookies have had success, they all share three characteristics: a very good defense, a good to very good offensive line, and a very good running game. When you have those 3 things, you can game plan in such a way that really what your asking your QB to do is NOT lose the game. How many passes per game did Sanchez average last year, especially in the first 8 games? How many were "go routes?" And in critical situations, how often did they ask him to make a high-risk/high-reward throw? The Bills defense is so-so and, if the switch to the 3-4 doesn't go well, could actually be worse than last year (probably not, but it is a possibility). The O-line is below average and not likely to improve sufficiently until later in the season (that's if they find a solid LT, and Woods makes it back to last season's level and no one else gets badly dinged up). And the running game is dicey. Right now, it's basically Freddy. By no stretch of the imagination are the Bills in a situation where they can start a rookie QB. So with the need for their top picks to begin contributing from day one, I think they'll stress the O-line and maybe the D-line.

Training camp fodder.

True enough. Doesn't Ruben Brown still live here? And Eric Moulds? Heck, Thurman and Kelly still live here. I'm sure you guys can come up with dozens of others as well, including plenty of non-athletes. Rick James, the Super Freak himself, used to keep a farm down near Springville.

I saw that segment today and Mayock most certainly DID NOT rip him apart. He noted the discrepancy, commented that McCoy apparently hasn't been hitting the weight room, and still rates him #1 overall, ahead of Suh simply because he believes McCoy is a tiny bit better in the passing game.

The thing that caught my eye about the O linemen was how few of them were overweight. Very impressive to see guys who are over 300 pounds and well over 6 feet looking so strong and "cut." That's a huge change from just even a few years ago. Also, most of them seemed quick and fast given their size. The TEs and WRs looked very, very good (and a deep group on top of that). Same for the RBs. Matter of fact, other than QB (where none of the Big Names did anything interesting), the depth and quality at all the positions seemed to be very high, which should be encouraging to Bills fans as it's likely the team will be able to pick up some fine players in the later rounds

And you can add in Darryl LaMonica from California, Joe Ferguson from waaaay down south, leaving only Jim Kelly of the 4 best QBs in Bills history NOT from warm weather. And even Kelly made his rep playing in Miami and Houston before returning "home" to the northeast.

Thanks for posting these interesting reports. There are many things you'd LIKE a QB to be able to do. But here are the things he MUST be able to do, and do at a high level: Quickly recognize the defense; Quickly release the ball; Throw with a high degree of accuracy. As these scouting reports show, Lefevour apparently excels at these three critical fundamentals. In addition, he's got good size, has shown he's durable, is a very good runner and a threat to run at any time, appears to be unflappable under stress, is a high character guy, is intelligent, and broke all the records while playing outdoors in the very WNY-like weather of central Michigan. The only knocks I can find on the guy are that he played in the MAC, might not have a rocket arm, and played mostly out of the shotgun. So, with that profile, can anyone explain why certain people on this board go all foamy-mouth crazy with their hatred of the guy? It just doesn't make logical sense based on his well-documented body of work.

Gailey was in the stands watching...tight ends. Hmm.

Here's a link to the latest Chris Brown interview with Buddy Nix: http://www.buffalobills.com/media-lounge/v...f8-14bcdc5fb4ba

I think the guy was quoting a news item without giving us the link. It sure reads like a news release.

Just a quick heads up in case you haven't heard: NBC will be televising the US game tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 26) LIVE across the US on the main (NBC) network. That means 9:00 AM on the east coast. It also means HD for you high def junkies.

Here's what Chan had to say this morning at the combine. http://www.buffalobills.com/media-lounge/v...89-38354bfbca6d

Couldn't find this in another thread so I'm putting it here. According to Chris Brown, this is what Mayock has to say on the O linemen in this year's draft: Offensive tackle figures to get some long, hard consideration by Buffalo’s decision makers. When Buffalo is on the clock at nine, Okung is likely to be gone possibly going as high as four to Washington. With Kansas City at five, Seattle at six and Oakland at eight all in need of edge pass protectors, it’s hard to say who might be there for the Bills. But Mayock believes any of his top four would represent good value. “Bulaga from Iowa is the kind of kid that would fit perfectly in Buffalo,” said Mayock. “You’re talking about a cold weather kid that’s tough and technique proficient. His technique is tremendous, he’s been coached very well. He’s a tough kid, he’s smart in both the run and pass games. I think he’s ready to start. “I think the Davis kid from Rutgers even though he’s a junior and may be a little inconsistent, he’s got the talent to play on the left side day one. He’s supremely talented. “Trent Williams the Oklahoma kid is probably better suited for the right side, but on tape it looks like he can play on the left side to me. I think you could plug him in. With the Bills picking ninth, those are the four guys I think have a chance to be there.” Here's the link: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-3...73-ba67c1101f00

Are you serious? Of course the Bills need another RB. Right now the whole running game is predicated on Freddy (unless you think Lynch is going to suddenly come to life). One big hit, then what? So count on it, Nix and the gang are definitely drafting a RB. I highly doubt it will be Gerhart but there will be an additional back by the end of the draft. As to Gerhart, the kid was a finalist for the Heisman, played multiple years in a very competitive conference (contrary to your puzzling claim), was the all time California high school RB (for yards), runs very well and with power (which the Bills need to compliment Jackson), and is a high character kid. HOWEVER, he's injured right now. And even if the Bills wanted him, they are surely not going to pick him in the first or second round and by the third, he'll be gone. He's expected to go late in the first or early in the second round.

It's that time of year.

I was really hoping the Bills would take Maurice Drew (now Jones-Drew) coming out of UCLA. After reading this article, I'm even more convinced he'd have been a great fit for Buffalo, both the team and the city. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-j...o&type=lgns

A great and insightful article on the absolute necessity of a team (coaches and ownership) being clear about knowing itself and what it's trying to to accomplish when building around a QB. It also points out the high importance of continuity and stability. Read it and see how much of this applies to the Bills struggles, particularly beginning with the Donohoe era. I thought the point about knowing your QBs flaws and weaknesses was on the money. I was surprised to learn that the O-Line wasn't the main focus when building around Manning and other successful QBs. My take so far on Nix and Gailey is that they are exactly in tune with this approach. I surely hope so. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-d...o&type=lgns

Jeez, guys, don't you realize that Clausen is from SoCal? He can't possibly play in Buffalo. I know this because many "experts" on TSW (and Jim Kelly too) have told me so. If only Clausen had played in a windy, cold weather place instead of sunny South Bend....

This has nothing to do with football but so long as you're reviewing local kids, count me among the surprised while watching the Olympics and seeing a guy from Hamburg competing in the freestyle skiing.

Worse, he's from Southern California.......he'll never do.

So after all this chatter about the Evil Obama and his Dark Agent Olbermann conspiring to deprive red-blooded Americans from watching hockey on NBC's main channel, the real reason now appears to be NOT about the move to MSNBC, but a snitty tirade because DirecTV doesn't have it in high definition. Man, have some Americans become spoiled little brats.