bluv

These means that we basically will be going with a singleback offense, replacing the FB with a TE. I have been waiting for this transition for the past 3-4 seasons; finally we have an OFFENSIVE IDENTITY! I've always felt we need to find a versatile personell group that can produce in both the run and pass. The offense had been so predictable as whenever Shelton was on the field we always ran the ball. Even if we passed with a 2 back set, he wasn't a threat in the passing game and factor in the TE's weren't either making us easy to stop: double team our #1 WR. We didn't have the O-line to dominate the LOS and push people off the ball so we were always bring in extra receivers on 3rd down making us predictable once again for the D knows it can just pin it's ears back and go after the QB. I think a singleback offense is less predictable; at least on 1st and 2nd downs the same personell group will be on the field. In a way, I wish we had kept Willis for I think he would have better success running stretch plays and cutback runs rather than following a FB up into the whole. If Everett can finally get healthy and play like the player we expected him to be or we draft a diamond in the rough TE we just might have something to look forward to on offense next year.

I'd rather draft Willis in the 1st, Jarret if he's available in the 2nd, and a RB in the 3rd. While Johnson is a wrokout warrior and I'd love to see him in a Bills uniform, Jarret got it done on the field with two different QBs and while he is not a speed deamon he is a playmaker. If we drafted him and ended up being a Plexico Burress type I'd be happy with that. I'm not a USC fan, but after that Bowl game against Michigan his stock was high and he seemed unattainable at the number 12 pick; now he has fallen to being maybe a 2nd round pick. Around draft time everybody get's caught up in all the workout hype; Rice, Reed, or Irvin weren't top flight athletes but they made damn good WRs!

In one of your shortest post you made your best point that most tend to forget is that players can improve and get better; just because a player didn't perform up to expectations, especially a young player doesn't mean that he won't ever amount to anything in the future. Most don't have any patience whatsoever and want a team comprised entirely of proven Pro Bowl players. It just isn't going to happen. I'm glad I was too young and that this board wasn't running back when Bruce was drafted as he would have been labeled a bust after 2 seasons!

Where is VABills; is he on vacation or something? He normally would have posted at least 5 times in this thread trashing Crowell by now!

They only know storylines; since the Bills don't have any storylines then ESPN doesn't care about the Bills or any other team for that matter that doesn't sell stories. The contradiction you speak off is so obvious. While I don't bash WM as mauch as some, ESPN makes it seems as if WM was LT or Corey Dillion; a RB putting up great numbers playing on a bad team; the only good thing that team had! And you are right about TKO; I mean he hasn't played for almost 2 seasons and he might not ever return to form ( I still wish he were on the team though!). He was due a huge bonus so it amde sense to make a trade and pickup a starting DT that's tailor made for your scheme.

We haven't bought in that many free agents. And besides this year we haven't lost that many free agents that we should have kept. Pat Williams is the only player I regret losing as with him we had a DOMINANT run D and he went to the Vikings and now they have a DOMINANT run D. He was overpaid at the time too but not by so much and I think the team was a little cheap and undervalued his importance. But Clemens like Willis wanted to be paid too much to be locked down; they wanted to be paid at the highest players at their position but not be the BEST players at their positions. Clemens is good but not dominant in any form or fashion. WM has talent but hasn't shown it plus didn't want to be a Buffalo Bill. Personally I don't think we are as far off as the national media thinks as I actually watch the team play and didn't just focus on stats & highlights! If the O-line additions can make a difference and we can obtain a quality RB, WM will not be missed and the speed we have at WR can be utilized more as well as get the TE's involved more in the passing game. On D, If they can find the right LB combination that can fill the gaps in the Tampa 2 scheme and allow us to put teams in 3rd and long, opponenets better watch out! If our 2nd year DT's improve with the addition of Walker, we have a D-line than can get after the QB. I hope Youbouty can step in as he is the big question mark but who knows; McGee might be the odd man out when all is said and done!

WHen they were showing the clip, I was expecting a 100 posts in the next 10 minutes! When I posted, there were 0 responses; by the time I finished there were about 7! My thoughts exactly. At least wait until after the draft and June 1st cuts before you start preaching about how many holes we have to fill!

That was my take; they never mentioned who we picked up, how we could get better or what player we should draft; they just kept saying that this team has SO many holes to fill. They never mentioned that by changing defensive philosophies, Spikes and Clemens is not as much of a loss as it seems. I mean Detroit changed to a cover 2 scheme and let Bly go for he didn't fit their scheme and he is probably as good or better man-to-man cover corner than Nate was.

They pointed out how bad we were at stopping the run and running the ball and then they point out how bad we needed to keep Willis and how he is such a special player; a security blanket for JP (I don't diss him like most do but come on!). And how we don't like to pay our young players such as Nate; Nate played like you know what the year before when we franchsied him when he wanted to be paid as he was this year. While he played better in the 2nd half of this year there is no way we should match the 49ers offer. Or resign Fletcher to a contract that the Redskins offered him. The only move I question is Spikes but but at least we got a potential starter at DT in Walker who has been durable. At least Mel Kiper, while he bashed us as well and made us seem like the worse team in the NFL, if we draft Willis in the 1st and Pittman in the 2nd I think we'd shock the NFL next year as our young unknown playersform last year draft will step up and start kicking butt!

I could but when I think of playmakers on offense I think more of RB's and WR who can take a short or even bad play, make a few defender miss or run over them and make a long gainer or TD out of it. QB's, unless they are Vick (whom I'm definitely NOT a big fan off!) don't fall into that category.

I wouldn't have any issues at all with taking him in round 2 or later as he'd form a pretty good rotation with the A-Train. Some will bash him because of his size; TT, Barry, and Emmit seemed to do pretty good being similar size. If he can come in and be the next TH I'd be happy with that. With 4.4 speed he can add to this team what we desperately need: more playmakers. The only one we have on offense is Lee Evans and maybe Roscoe if given the chance. I'd much rather see us draft a stud defensive player (LB or CB than can start day 1) or WR than a RB in rd 1.

There is no loyalty in football; from the team to the players to the fans! One year you're hot the next you are overpaid or too old. The players need to get the money while they can; ask Andre Reed or Travis Henry about loyalty from the team or the fans and see what they say! Bottom line just be loyal to your team and don't be flip flop teams each year like some do; players come and go!

If Willis is available I say grab him but I'm still not confident in who on this roster will play strongside OLB. If we don't draft Willis, I hope we can ttade down and draft a playmaker at either RB or WR and get a stud OLB in the 2nd. Maybe we can get a top flight DB as well to replace Nate.

Well on paper I can't see how we will be that much better of a team but I'll hold my judgements until after the draft and also give hope to post June 1st cuts. The loss of both Fletcher and Spikes might hurt more than most think. I just hope the O-line additions can make a HUGE difference. I hope we can find a playmaker on this team for besides Lee there is none on either side of the ball!

The OLB we brought in last year from Green Bay, Roy Kelly might get a look as he does have better size to play strongside: 6-2,245. Don't know about him or Haggan but they could step in and contribute.

As far as athletes go or most celebrity for that matter, I don't have any loyalty to any player; only to the team. Just because they don't like the city or overly endorse the area I could care less; all I care is if they perform on the field. I mean no matter how you feel about WM bottomline if he averaged 5 yards a carry and 10 plus TD's you wouldn't care about much else about him either. I mean TH had BUFFALO BILLS written all over his chest, childhood fan and gave his all to the team and was run out of town for the hot pretty young thing by most fans on this board. So who cares what WM says; let him go on and move on. We just need to find a better option and the most important thing, get back to winning as it cures everything!

I hope that it doesn't happen as while I feel comfortable with either a WLB-MLB-SLB combo of Crowell-draft pick (Willis maybe)-Spikes or Ellis-Crowell-Spikes, I don't have the same feeling of having either Crowell or Ellison playing the SAM OLB lined up over a TE. So if this trade is made, I know VABills will not be happy as we will draft an OLB capable of playing the SAM and we will have a lineup of Ellis-Crowell-? at LB.

Exactly! I guess most NFL fans today are like the ones on this board who thinks that players should come in day one and dominate; that just isn't the case in most instances. He was picked 14, not number 1! I mean if he gets his technique downpack he could be a Pro Bowler the next few years. I guess if this board was up in 85-87 and everything was as hightech as it is today where we can read so many articles from so many so called experts many would be labeling Bruce Smith as a bust as well as he didn't come in and get 10 plus sacks his rookie season!

I'm not in as much love with him as you hate on him. At least give the guy a chance to play his natural position - ILB or MLB; he has already proven to be an above average player at WLB when given the chance. Also like I have said many times before you can't have a Pro Bowler at every position; this isn't Maddan fantasy team we are building!

What is up with your consistent hating on Crowell? Every year, he has been here, even when he plays good you hate on him. Give the guy a break and a chance for god sakes! You act like a draft analysis who HOPES a player or a team fails to prove your point to keep from eating crow or one of the JP haters on this board who hoped he'd flop in the 2nd half of the season to say I told you so or hope his play falls off next season to do the same. While he is not a Pro Bowler he has shown flashes so give him a fair chance. But to make the comment he is better playing only in nickle is ludicrous and shows your disdain for him as a player as he has proven to be a decent LB when healthy the past 2 seasons; good but not great.

I watched that too and I was ticked off as how they ended the show saying they would show his 10 top highlights; they only showed 5 and within that found a way to throw in a clip of him forgetting his helmet before Sb XXVI; that's not a highlight!

If we had a starting linebacker corp of Ellison, Crowell, and Spikes ans they stayed healthy I think that would be a solid group. If they can find a DT who is suout at the point of attack then this group would be all over the field. If we drafted Willis that would be OK but who's to say that he would be better than Crowell in the middle or even have better impact than Ellison who we have seen have effective play in the NFL? I guess VABills must have hated Crowell when he played for UVA for he has hated on Angelo ever since the Bills has drafted the guy. Players develop and get better; especially in their 1st 4 years.

They're sure enough better on paper! I mean they went 12-4, made it to the AFC championship game with subpar WRs. They make a few upgrades and add another outside pass rusher to the mix. I mean some on our board got hyped up about signing a couple of O-linemen (that BTW we desperately needed!); what if we had given JP a few more targets while having a young stud 2nd year RB like the Pats have? Give Brady some better targets and I'll admit they scare me on paper!

They might not but if they were added to our roster a lot of fans on this board would be putting the Bills in the playoffs! Think about it: if we had signed Washington, and picked up Julius Jones for a 4th round pick this board's server would be on lock!

I'll admit I'm jealous. I was hoping the Bills would add Washington to give JP a big target to go along with Lee. To all those haters: if the Bills had made even half the additions the Pats have made this offseason this board would be blowing up and we would put the Bills in the Super Bowl! I HOPE the Pats move don't pan out and that we somehow prove the critics wrong...I can hope can't I!