Bill from NYC

The thing is, Fitz, imo, is better than Trent, Losman, RJ, etc. The difference is, he is able to play professional, NFL football. He's an unusual qb, in that he doesn't really look like one, nor is he extremely accurate. But Fitz is a gamer, can run very well, and he's smart enough to grasp Gailey's system, which is intricate. Gil Brandt was raving about Gailey today on Sirius. Chan is a well respected offensive mind, who has a system, and really does grasp the modern NFL. Fitz can too, and can implement it. And, Fitz works well with Stevie Johnson. They were scrubs/bench warmers together, and worked out with each other. And they click. Imo, this played a big role in SJ staying here. I don't have all the answers, but I tell myself that last season, the Marcel Dareus led the team in sacks, and got some of them from the nose. In other words, there was zero pass rush. This will change with the new additions up front. What we desperately need is a lb who can play at this level, other than Barnett. As far as the secondary, one has a right to hope that they will be ok. There are two early second round picks and 2 first rounders back there. And McKelvin is in a contract year, which is fine with me. In short, we have every right to expect an improved football team, and it starts in 8 days. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John, here ya go..... You are a wonderful poster. I truly believe that you know what you are looking at when you watch football. And no, we don't always agree, but this is what is GOOD about this board, not bad. Wrt Spiller, he is lightning fast. We all know this. He can get open on passing downs. We know this too. And one more thing that we know is that he had decent to good stats late in 2011. These are givens. BUT, he needs to improve. He must block when called upon, He need to get through holes quicker, and passes CANNOT fly off his hands for interceptions if we are to win enough football games in order to make the playoffs. I am seriously rooting for him. Because, we need improvement from him in order to win enough games to reach the playoffs. Do you disagree? Fitz? Again, I liken him to Flutie, big time. Flutie had a very good defense when he was with us. But players who are limited as such do need a head start. He can't throw as well as other gifted quarterbacks. But just as you said, Fitz really does have some intangible qualities. I love it when he takes off and runs. I'm not going to look at his stats, but he is far more athletic than he looks. And he is VERY smart. Again, he will win and lose us games, but with help from the defense, he is capable of a lot imo. Wrt corners, again, ask Simon, not me. But there were things I saw in Rogers that make me glad that he is on this football team. And if he can play, this would be a HUGE score. Look at where he was drafted! McKelvin was a mid round first John. A total waste of prime resoueces. What we as fans, and especially the Bills organization need to look at imo is which players can win us football games. Freaking John Holocek actually won us a couple of games. This season, at least 3 players on the DL can, and perhaps even Anderson. Can he get to the qb just a step before Kelsay? Players to whom SO much was devoted such as Gilmore, A. Williams, and Byrd should have every opportunitiy to make game winning plays. And as I said, if Glenn can produce, we will be able to run the football big time. Let's get this party started!!! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL Pooj! It's tougher than it would appear. Believe it or not I try to be prepared for a win or a loss, but I'm easily thrown off. Hunter's lyrics are opaque and I actually put effort into picking the right ones. And yes, this is strange.

I for one prefer TSW in the offseason. To me, this is where we out class other boards. There are people here who truly put time and effort into predicting what the Bills need, and will do in free agency, and especially the draft. You people know who you are; please accept my thanks. I will refrain from naming names. Thanks to the mods, and of course SDS for giving us this forum. I for one deeply appreciate it, and feel privileged to post here. And I'm even more privileged to have met so many nice people in person at RWS. I hope to make it again this season, but we shall see. This, imo, is a different team this year, or so I hope. The following are scattered, but well considered opinions on what we need, and will perhaps see this season: 1) Don't worry about McGee. Worry about Brooks and Rogers. I would settle for either of them to step up and be a good corner. Simon is an expert on secondary play. I watch blockers, so take this with a grain of salt, but my money is on Rogers. Again, I know little wrt the secondary. Maybe he won't even make the final cuts. But from where I sit, this kid is going to be good. 2) Think of Fitz as a modern day Flutie. It's hard to do because they look so different. Seriously. But players like him will win AND lose you games. He isn't as bad as his detractors say. He just isn't. And, I don't see anyone saying that he is great. But, imo he can win us some games. Or so I hope. 3) The DL might be top 5. Dareus was great as a rookie. If he stays healthy and on course, they will seriously destroy people. 4) I did manage to see a little bit of Glenn. I don't know.....but if he IS a player, their running game will be off the charts. 5) Spiller? He has a ton to prove. He needs to attack holes and hold onto passes. And he needs to do this NOW. Seriously, how much more room does he deserve? 6) This franchise needs to make the playoffs. We fans are as deserving as one could ever imagine. We have stayed with this team through thick and thin. Now is the time. Hate me for it, but I would settle for a wildcard at this point. Happily. 7) The LB crew is not looking good. My hopes for Sheppard are not high. This can be a problem. 8) Please. let's re-sign Levitre. He can flat out block! 9) God bless you all, and GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad but true. Nicely played!!!!!

Does Canton have a homeless shelter?

Yes, this is a cause for alarm. I give Chan/Nix some room because as soon Levy/Jauron rolled into town, they started screwing up the team. Jauron had a huge say in the draft, and after Levy left, he might well have had final say (other than perhaps Ralph). They left the Bills a complete mess, and Jauron got a job as a defensive backs coach. Somehow, Cleveland was stupid enough to hire him as DC. Watch what happens. Jauron was unthinkably bad in every phase of his job.

5) CJ Spiller. Is he really averaging 1.2 yards per carry, and now a fumble? Why don't they take FJ out? Why risk injury? Unless they are afraid that Spiller can't block and they don't want Fitz to get killed. In any event, it would seem fair to say that Spiller needs more reps. Or, is he now a 3rd string back?

It cannot be. Jauron is bad in every single phase of being a head coach. He isn't even good as a defensive coordibator. Watch what happens to Cleveland this season. He uses the worst formations I have ever seen. His players run away from the line of scrimage, and he believes in building from the secondary. He used to send Schobel out on pass coverage. Offensively, he was probably worse. He had not one clue in terms of clock management. He made utterly bizzare calls in terms of when to kick field goals, and didn't bring an offensive formula into games. Gailey might not be one of the all time great coaches, but he is not to be denied in terms of offensive game plans. He is an intellectual, and it works well with a healthy Fitz. I think that the real difference between Gailey and Jauron is that wrt Gailey, given enough talen,t he could actually win. I hope to see this soon. Jauron couldn't win under any conditions. He employs a "play not to lose" philosophy that never has worked, nor will it ever.

Why settle for so little. I'm pretty sure we could get a 4th for him.

So what? In 2008, Jackass Jauron drafted Leodis McKelvin. right before Clady, Brandon Albert, and Joe Flacco were selected. Assuming McKelvin too was highly ranked (and I'm guessing that he was), would this justify such stupidity? The team needed blockers and a quarterback, and chose Leodis McKelvin. In 2010, the Bills needed everything except a running back, and chose Spiller. Sorry, pre-draft rankings do not justify this imo. As I am 100% sure you recall, after the Spiller selection, Mr. Wilson, who was a little more active at the time, was quoted as saying that the team needed, "excitement." This was a very, very questionable selection at the time, and remains such today. And, I will always suspect that Mr. Wilson had some input in terms of ticket sales. The good news is that Nix has made some very good UFA signings, and I'm not simply referring to Mario. Other good news? The season is creeping up upon us.

I am not seeing where he says or implies that Spiller was a good pick.

I agree. We should keep him. He has produced a ton for the Bills. He is healthy, and headed straight for the pro bowl.

EA, please do not believe that Pace weighed 325. Do trust me on this, he weighed more than this as a college sophmore, and I don't care what he was ever listed at. Pat Williams was also listed at 325 at times, and he was WAY closer to 400 than 325. Pace came into the NFL at an easy 350. EASY! I have been watching football for more than 40 years. Pace (when healthy) is in my top 5 players of all time. Seriously. As a rookie, he was one of the strongest players in the league, if not THE strongest. Pace was the perfect LT. He was the best at power run blocking, pass protection, and he fired out on screens like nobody I have ever seen. Walter Jones was great. Was he strong like Pace? Hell no. He doubled as a tight end in junior college. He was as agile as any LT I ever watched, but he probably played in his prime at approx. 300 lbs., despite what he was "listed" at. Anyway, this thread was about Glenn. Imo, the highest hope for him would be for him to equal Jumbo Elliot, a man who I met, and spoke about football with for a half hour or so. Btw, Elliot actually coached Jason Peters. We talked a lot about him, but I digress. Elliot was as strong as an ox. He told me that he had NO fear of Bruce Smith as a human being. BUT, he said that if he made a mistake for 1/2 of a second, his QB was finished. PM me if you want more details of our conversation. It was good. But wrt Glenn, he will never have the agility of the GREAT LTs. The good news is that he might not need it. He DOES have the strength, and if he can play at the level of Elliot, Tarik Glenn, or another of my favorites, Brad Hopkins, he will be just what the doctor ordered for the Buffalo Bills football team. Can he? I don't know. I'm just a little uncomfortable with the fact that he played OG at Georgia for a while. But, this doesn't have to matter. I am rooting hard for CG to be a great player. Bills fans really do deserve a prominent LT. We shall see. Btw, great to see you posting!

Great post as usual BV!!! You know, wrt OGs, I think that Levitre IS the new prototype. I hope that they re-sign him, and soon. Please post more!!!

I agree with the above. Now, sorry to split hairs, but wrt the above mentioned LTs, Walter Jones was not a "brute strength" LT either. His biggest attribute was phenominal agility.

This is 100% true. Absolutely. But certainly it does raise other questions, no?

Fans will be prone to high expectations for early round picks. Despite being the 5th corner selected, he was the second pick of round 2. Quarterbacks were selected by the two teams that immediately followed the Bills. A pick like this is extremely valueable. Often teams can obtain an extra 1st round pick in the following season in a trade down as part of their compensation for such a deal. Despite the above, Nix seemed to have been hell-bent on drafting A. Williams, or maybe just a corner. This would indicate that he had very high hopes for Williams, so why wouldn't Bills fans? Last season, we had zero pass rush. I would give something of a pass to any corner, let alone a rookie. This year, the Bills need, and have a right to expect major production from A. Williams. Jmo.

Although I agree with Alpha wrt Mallett, your post is a thread ender if I ever saw one.

Shep is the reason that I wanted the Bills to trade down and draft Hightower. This is not to say there would have been an adequate offer mind you, but Sheppard was not a good player last season, and we are clearly weak at the LB position. I suppose the good news is that so were the Giants last season. In other words, we truly need the DL to step up, but we already knew this.

Because of your screen name?

I didn't see the game. Was Spiller called upon to block at all? Also, how was Glenn? Thanks.

I can understand this. A thing to do would be to look at previous drafts in which the Bills used their best picks on running backs and/or defensive backs, and look at the players that they passed up in key, hard to fill positions. This will explain the 12 year playoff drought. 2006 stands out as the worst offseason that a GM could possibly have. And remember, Levy was on Sirius talking of how he too spurned numerous offers to trade down. He completely blew the first 4 rounds, and gave away an early 3rd in the process. And let's not forget the dumb ufa signings, but I digress. I am one of the few that didn't like the Gilmore selection. BUT, I didn't get as angry this time around because it does have a chance at being a good pick due to the major improvements up front. I make the case that even an exceptional Gilmore would not win us games with Kelsay, Troup, and Carrington as starting linemen. His skills would be wasted imo. And, btw, you left out Dareus while listing the def. linemen that the Bills drafted. He took over the Redskin game as a rookie (I know, they had injured blockers), and won it for us. And Glenn might be a steal, who knows? In any event, things do seem to be looking up. Jauron was as bad a head coach as one could imagine. Imo he could not win much under any conditions. I believe that Gailey is a very good, modern offensive mind, I hope that this Bills team is strong enough, and well suited to play in the elements. At least this season, it appears to be possible.

What I'm saying is that the Bills got some good production from defensive backs who weren't necessarily first round picks, or in the case of AW, the second pick of round 2. Remember, after the 2011 draft, it was Nix who said that they had, "multiple trade down offers in every round." Last season, the Giants drafted a corner in round 1. He was injured for the bulk of the season. They won the superbowl anyway, primarily due to their great defensive line. It is a wonderful thing that the Bills finally devoted major resources to their DL. As for drafting dbs every year, this isn't necessarily something that I am against. But before doing so with early selections, a team should be stocked with linemen on both sides, and a solid QB. Jmo.

He might. He could also nose out A. Williams. It isn't impossiible. History has taught Bills fans that wasting prime resources on defensive backs doesn't mean that they will be all that good, or actually result in wins. In fact, the contrary stands out.