Dawgg

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10123560

That's exactly my point. Given that the team had numerous holes and there were some key pending free agents on the roster, trading down and acquiring extra first-day picks was a prudent strategy, especially where the Bills were, at #8. Marv should have jumped on Denver's offer to move back to #15 for an additional 2nd rounder and more. By moving back to #15, the Bills save $8M in guranteed money. When a small market team like the Bills spends $13M guaranteed on a rookie, he better damn well be a star... in my view, by trading down, they could have minimized the risk and get a player with comparable impact. They can then take a LB (Carpenter or Greenway), a DE (Hali), a Guard (Joseph, perhaps), a Center (Mangold)... if they took one of those LBs, perhaps the loss of Spikes and Fletcher is more bearable. If they took Joseph, maybe we don't need to sign Dockery to the richest contract in team history. The point I'm trying to make here is that if they lost out on Whitner, they still could have improved the team by trading down... judging how well the team drafted in the middle rounds, I feel like they could have found some impact players with those extra picks. From my vantage point, this draft was very deep and you can look no further than the 2nd round to prove it. When the likes of Marcus McNeil, Maurice Jones-Drew, Devin Hester, Demarco Ryans, Winston Justice fall to the 2nd, I consider it a deep draft. When a guy like Youboty falls to the 3rd, that's a deep draft. In past drafts, guys with that type of skill are picked in the latter half of the first round.

.. and God forbid if Whitner was taken and the Bills missed out on him... that would be the end of the NFL in Buffalo. Move the team. It's over...

Not with the #8 pick! Especially when: (a) There were many more important needs to fill on the team (both lines, linebacker) (b) We had a trade offer to move down 7 spots and acqiuire a 2nd rounder in a very deep draft

Very true.

Don't get me wrong, I think Crowell is fantastic.. just think it would be doing him a disservice to move him to the middle because his strenghts match up well for the OLB position. With him stepping into the starting lineup after Spikes' injury 2005, coupled with his year of starting experience last season IN THIS SYTEM, let's keep him where he is and let him build off that success!

Marv is to blame for passing on a deal that would have improved the franchise significantly more and cost a lot less than standing pat and reaching on Whitner.

Do you believe that Whitner was the ONLY option in the first round for the Bills? Apparently so... We'll continue this debate at Northstar

Milloy played very well last year and he's going to start. It was Chris Crocker that got beat on a regular basis... Landry would be starting alongside Milloy.

This is the most confounding line of "logic" that supporters of this move make. The assertion that Bills would have taken on risk by moving down and acquiring more picks is assenine. SO WHAT IF DETROIT TOOK WHITNER??? This was an extremely deep draft and there were plenty of impactful defensive prospects available in the middle of the first round, perhaps not safeties. By sticking at #8 drafting Whitner, the Bills had to guarantee Whitner $13M. Trading down to #15, the Bills could have picked a solid prospect like Mangold, Davin Joseph, Tamba Hali, or Bobby Carpenter for half the price. That hardly qualifies as "more" risk. Picking up an additional secound rounder makes it a slam dunk, given how barren the roster is.

Perhaps, but it is you who needs head-from-Marv's-ass removal. The Falcons will not get crucified for picking Laron Landry in the top 10 simply because they don't have the sheer number of holes that the Bills had coming into the draft. The Bills were razor thin at defensive line, very old at LB, and and had a hole at strong safety, though they had already signed Bowen. Picking a safety at #8 was not smart. Couple that with the fact that it was a deep draft, they were offerd to move down for additional picks, and they turned it down to take a "solid" player at number 8 only to pay him like a potential star.

We don't need theoretical arguments to ascertain whether or not Crowell would make a good MLB. The simple fact of the matter is that we have seen him play over the course of the last two years and he doesn't have what it takes to man the middle at a high level of play. Doest that mean he can't do it? No. He has done it before on a limited basis. But if you go back and watch the tape from last season, Crowell's tackling was often inconsistent. While he is generally a good hitter and can create some turovers, he is not the rock solid tackler that we need at the MLB position. Watch the JAX game or the TEN game and you will see what I mean. Good Cover 2 defenses have studs at MLB. Urlacher, Brooks are perfect examples. This team needs Patrick Willis so that Crowell can play on the outside, where he is better suited anyway.

Crowell would be exposed as a middle linebacker. Not a good idea. I think the first round is very simple this year and if Marv manages to get cute for the second year in a row, I'll be shocked: 1) If Adrian Peterson miraculously falls to #12, pick him.. if he's not available proceed to (2). 2) Take the best defensive player available in the following order: Patrick Willis, Omobi Okoye. If neither are available proceed to (3) 3) TRADE DOWN and pick up an extra 2nd round pick. In the absolute worst case and no trade is available, move to (4) 4) Consider taking Leon Hall. If this happens, move to (5) 5) Feel the Wrath of Bill NYC!

When the Bills were offered the #15 overall pick, they were targeting Whitner and could have deduced the following, by using simple common sense. 9 Detroit - Kenoy Kennedy under contract, no need for safety. 10 Arizona - Targeting a QB... plus have Adrian Wilson at strong safety, who was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2005 11 St. Louis - Corey Chavous under contract, no need for safety 12 Baltimore - Ed Reed is there... Need I say more? 13 Cleveland - Sean Jones, a 2nd round pick was their undisputed starter at strong safety. 14 Philadelphia - Dawkins, no need for safety. 15 Denver - Offered the Bills their pick and were going after Cutler Does this mean Whitner would have been avilable at 15? No... nothing is ever for sure... but looking at the deal the Bills had and closely looking at who was picking behind them, the odds were in their favor.

I referenced that trade because it was a very similar situation and a very similar trade proposal. The team in 2001, like last year, was rebuilding and had many needs. This involved a simple trade down and the Bills were able to fill many holes. The Rob Johnson trade and the Ricky Williams trades are completely different in nature. Why do we pay a nation-wide scouting department to travel the country during the year to scout out college players? Let's see what they can do!

Well... considering that: (1) The Lions signed Kenoy Kennedy to a multi-year contract to be their starting strong safety (2) He was only 28 years old at the time of the draft (3) He led the team in tackles in 2005 and had a pretty solid year (4) He has proven to be a very durable starting-caliber strong safety since 2001 ... I think it might be safe to consider them out of the Donte Whitner sweepstakes. But wait! Donte said so on Cold Pizza!! It has to be true!!!!!

... and Bill... and most rational individuals. Oh well

While you're at it, take a look at what the Bills accomplished by trading down from #14 overall to #22 overall in 2001.

In your head they might be different. What Peter King said is below... I merely said that he is right... which is an opinion (since I need to spell it out for you)

People are far too focused on Whitner, as if Whitner was the only option here. The factor you have to consider here is the deal that the Bills were presented in exchange for the #8 pick. They were offered: 1. The #15 overall pick (which would save them $7M in guarantees) 2. An additional 2nd round pick (very valuable in a deep draft like last year's, where Maurice Jones-Drew, Marcus McNeill and Devin Hester were all 2nd rounders) 3. An additional second day pick The question is this: Would the Bills have been better served AS AN ORGANIZATION making that deal? In my opinion, yes... because they "might" have been able to grab Whitner at #15 and in the worst case he is gone, there were plenty of good prospects to choose from in his place. If this was the 2000 draft, you're probably right... maybe you don't take that risk and trade down. But the 2006 draft was unquestiobly one of the deepest drafts in years.

This draft was one of the most stacked drafts in years, very much unlike the 3 drafts you cite.

When Peter King states an opinion and I say he is right, that means I agree with that opinion. It is impossible to claim factually that ANY player was taken too early... but can you make an educated guess based on other team's needs and based on the Bills' needs? Absolutely. But go ahead and pat yourself on the back, there buddy.

Probably the most accurate statement in this thread. While Buffalo minimized their risk to get "their guy," they managed to dole out $13M in guarantees to their rookie safety... I wouldn't exactly call that a low-risk strategy.

This is precisely the point I am trying to make. Mr. (or Miss) Huang keeps asking for proof that Whitner would have been available in the teens. OF COURSE YOU CAN'T PROVE THAT! To be perfectly honest, it doesn't F*****ING matter! Let's say the odds were 50-50 of Whitner being available after trading down. You still make that deal and net the extra picks!!! If Whitner is there, great take him. If he's not, we have a choice of solid prospects in Mangold, Joseph, Greenway, Hali, and Carpenter -- ALL areas of need. Couple that with the fact that a contract at #15 offers SIGNIFICANT savings over what we had to pay Whitner. Whitner got $13M guaranteed. Tye Hill, the #15 overall pick got $6M guaranteed. So by trading down, you not only net additional first-day picks, you save $7M in guaranteed money!!!! And if what you say is true in that Marv was offered more than a 2nd to move down, that seals the deal right there... Marv showed he was a rookie GM in last year's draft.

Haha actually, if you do the math, the Bills actions demonstrated that they have this view: Whitner + McCargo is more valuable than: Pick #15+ 2 2nd rounders + a high 3rd. By refusing to trade down, they lost out on an extra 2nd. And by trading back into the first, they traded away a high 3rd. Take a look at how deep this draft was... if you believe that Whitner and McCargo carry more value than those picks, especially for a team in REBUILDING mode, then we'll agree to disagree.