Bill from NYC

I agree with this as well. Arm strength and coordination are directly related imo. JP had a great arm for a fly pattern and a good (though lacking the touch that you mentioned) fastball. But, he had to step into his passes more than Bledsoe, who could throw a 60 yard strike with so much air under it that it would fall vertically into a receivers hands. Fitz, unlike the above mentioned, can do very good things on the run. Remember what would happen when JP would roll right? I agree that Fitz has enough skills to take this team to the playoffs, and would appear to be ready to start in 2011, even if they draft Luck or Mallett. If he is our starter, I hope he has a better OL, and I would like to see him run it himself more often. He is I must say not hard to like.

I agree with this, especially that Fitz has more all around arm strength than Edwards, to include a better fastball.

Your OP is a good one. I do want to add something wrt the list of requirements. Joe Montana didn't have a good deep arm. The thing is. his need for one was lessened because he was SO good in SO many other areas. For instance, his composure was beyond compare. Never have I seen a qb able to find 2nd, or even 3rd receivers in seconds. And, he was pinpoint accurate; he threaded the needle at will. Fitz doesn't have a great deep ball either. His biggest assets are guts, brains and mobility. Still, he really will have to settle his accuracy issues in order to take the next step. As for the quote, "all the throws," this is one of my favorite topics. One thing that I have learned in my years watching football is that there are many, many different types of arm strength. If you wouldn't mind, could you be just a bit more specific in terms of what you mean by this? Thanks.

Of course not. Fletcher was very good for many, many years. Ram fans were pissed off when we got him, and he was even good after he left the Bills. As for Spikes, I have been blasted for saying this but imo the pre-injury Spikes was Hall of Fame material. His game was complete; he was very, very good at every phase of his position. The step and strength that he lost due to the injury is what seperates good from great. So no Mike, I don't liken Poz to these 2, but I think he is better than what is being posted about him in this thread. He is usually around the football and gives it his all on every play. He is strong and pretty agile imo. PS: Fitz isn't as good as Kelly, but he looks OK, ya know?

I think it's OK, because Wade is one of the top defensive minds in the game. If he was asking Jauron I would have a problem with this.

Much of this post is indisputable. The Bills need better players, and most of them have to be on the OL and front 7. And, if they think that a certain quarterback will be a superstar, they shoud grab him imo.

The answer to your question is an easy one. Nobody else wanted Levy as a GM. I am sure you believe this to be true. Levy in turn hired a coach who nobody else wanted. This too is true. I am not trying, nor willing to turn this into a blast Ralph session, but these were two indefensible, unexplainable hires. And, they set back the franchise.

Gotta disagree John. I think that his defensive system was as bad as anything anyone could imagine. He and Marv played "not to lose" and built the team from the secondary. He even had Schobel running away from scrimage trying to cover tight ends.

We might be closer to the same page than you suggest. Carrington and Troup didn't even suit up for some games. Now they are making progress. Bringing them along slowly seems to have been the choice, and perhaps a wise one. I am all for strengthening the front 7, but this team still needs to get better on the OL and at TE, and Nix/Gailey (or even Ralph) might want one of the top QBs as well.

Just caught this; one of the funniest posts in all my years at TBD!!! What makes it so special is taking it in context with your earlier posts in the thread, and the tone of agreeing to try this suggestion from a fellow poster. Seriously.....GREAT stuff; my compliments indeed!

The above is tough to argue with. I guess the question will be wrt the 2011 draft is whether or not Nix/Gailey think that any QBs we could select have a chance at being great. Peyton Manning won titles and a superbowl on a team that I didn't think was all that. HE is great. Fitz looks good, but he will undoubtably need much more support and a MUCH better defense than a great quarterback would. Given more tools, better blocking, and a much better defense, I am convinced that Fitz could take us to the playoffs. Could he win us a superbowl? I dunno; make your case.

Your suggestion might have some merit, but it doesn't tell the entire story. When a LT is playing dominating football (as Peters did for a while), it frees up other weapons for a QB. You can send the TE out on more patterns, and not have to deploy a RB to help block. Also, one can't say enough about the importance of being able to run the football, especially for a team that plays in the elements. When we lost Peters we took a step back, one which was/is long lasting. Of course, this infuriated me. Initially Bell was horrible imo. Missed assignments and untimely penalties seemed to rule the day. Now, he is holding up well on most passing downs due to his agility (which btw I never denied). I still think he needs to get stronger and if possible, put a few pounds on to be in the upper class of LTs. BUT, he isn't "bad" anymore, and I am thrilled about this.

No need. It isn't about wanting the Bills to make dumb moves. It is about wanting them to win football games. When Whitner makes tackles on pass plays 18 yards down the field on 3rd and 17, I am not going to praise him. When he plays well, I will. As for Bell, he is a very hard player to rate. As another poster said, he is still raw. One thing he is NOT, is Jonathan Scott. Did you see just how bad he was yesterday? This is what Bills Fans were forced to endure for too many years. The problem is drafts such as 2006 did nothing to correct this vital issue. It looks as if, as long as Ralph stays out of it, Gailey and Nix know enough about football to build this team up. That is the good news.

1) I have blasted him many times and called him "Lil Donte." Yesterday, Whitner had his best game as a Bill imo. His tackles actually meant something, and he was laying hits on a very strong Ward. As annoying and opiniated as I can be, I give credit when it is due. I salute the play of Donte Whitner in yesterdays game. 2) Thank goodness Jauron is gone. Drayton is not playing as well as he did last season imo. Jauron would see this and grab a first round corner just as sure as you know what, even if we pick in the top 5. 3) Not only did Carrington have a sack, there was an important holding call against him. Troup also applied some pressure and was in on a few plays. I am telling you people, we need to concentrate a lot on offense in April. These kids are improving late in the season, and this was the plan imo. 4) I have been on both sides wrt Stevie Johnson. Early in the season I called him a possession receiver with bad hands due to his drops. He proved to be much more, but he really does need better concentration. He is good, but will not get to the next level until he solves this problem. 5) Fitz played his usual game imo. He was gritty and doesn't give up. His stats were skewed because of the drops. In fact, this game is a good example of how stats are quite deceiving. 6) I said that I was going to focus on Bell this week and I did. I am NOT copping out, but his play does confuse me. You see, for 15 or so years we either had a very good LT (Peters briefly), or one who completely sucked. The only small exception was Jennings (when he wasn't on a gurney), and now Bell. Anyway, he is VERY agile, and this is what makes finding a top LT so difficult. He looks like his balance has improved as well. I do wish he would put on a few pounds and get stronger so he could be better on running plays. Again, his best asset is SO rare!!! This is obviously why different staffs kept him. So, maybe I am copping out because he has talent, but I cannot say that I am completely sold on him either. Time will tell. 7) I AM sold on Levitre, who imo is our best all around blocker. 8) Like I said, I prefer McKelvin to Spiller on kickoff (not punt) returns. 9) Believe it or not, this season has been fun lately. Yes, the pain of these heartbreaking losses is a given, but our playoff hopes were dashed weeks ago. We are actually now seeing some young players get better, and it offers a ray of hope to the weary. I wanted to win as much as any fan, but losing didn't hurt the way it normally would. We played well against a pretty good team, and might wind up with a very early pick. 10) Props to Jones for his special teams play. In fact, there were many nice tackles made on special teams. 11) Obviously, Lee Evans hurt us yesterday. 12) I can't help it.....I like Gailey, and think that there is something impressive about Edwards at DC. 13) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wanted McClain, but once he was gone I was hoping for Graham. It would have been great as well to trade down and take Bulaga. There was no need to rush to the podium and grab a small, part time player, unless perhaps the goal was non-football related.

Why are so many people accusing you of not watching games? Btw, you are 100% correct wrt Wood. The best OG on this team is Andy Levitre, by a lot.

He threw that pass effortlessly over the middle with perfect touch, and just the right amount of air under it. One defender was in front of the receiver, and Mallett dropped the football exactly where it had to be. I can't come up with a rational reason why this pass wasn't good enough for you. He is raw, needs to be coached up, and needs to listen to an offensive mind such as Gailey. When Gailey tells a kid like Mallett something, he will be right. If a well coached and developed Mallett was on the Bills, teams would have to keep a safety WAY back, for fear of a 75 yard bomb to Evans. This would free up other receivers, perhaps even strengthen the running game by having defenders play off the line. He, imo, is THAT talented. You can insult this kid (and/or his ability) as you will, but my guess is the scouts were mighty impressed with his outing today. Mallett could throw Fiedler farther than Fiedler could throw a football.

LOL!!!! Great stuff; thanks for this!

I know. That 80 yard td just sucked.

Bell isn't a rookie. What is this, year 3? The Steelers have a very good defense. Bell has been holding his own to a limited extent this season. I am curious to see how he does against the Steelers D. Bell plays next to a good, and improving LG. He also gets a lot of help. Tomorrow would seem to be a good time to look at him to see exactly what we have. Imo, Demarcus Love would enter this league as a better LT than Bell. Many posters think that devoting the early picks to defense is a given. I tend to disagree. We did this (after the Spiller debacle) with Troup and Carrington in 2010. If we don't take a QB in round 1 (and I openly hope we take Mallett), I think the biggest need we have is at OT. Before the Colts drafted Manning, they took Tarik Glenn and Adam Meadows in rounds 1 and 2. This worked for them big time. My point is that if Bell has a chance (which I personally doubt) to be a dominant LT, this affords the team other options. So, I think this week is a very good time for us to make an honest appraisal of Bell. I know I will be watching closely.

Cool, and thank you. I didn't know about this. If you are right, this is part of what makes this such a great site! I was thinking in terms of who is clearly a better football player.

Your screen name is fitting for a comment as idiotic as the above.

Negotiating with Whitner before Poz is an exercise in stupidity.

They share some of the responsibility. After the Spiller pick, Nix concentrated on defense. The defense overall is therefore young and spotty. Good offensive tackles would mean a better running game and keep the suspect defense off the field, thus shortening the game by running the football and using the clock. My guess/hope is that in 2011, Nix/Gailey will give Troup and Carrington more of a chance to show what they can do, and try to improve the offense. To do so, they absolutely must improve at OT.

Absolutely. The Bills have not had a good tight end since Pete Metz. Many posters praise Riemersma. He could get open but he had bad hands and couldn't block.