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Hackett's play calling was by the far the most disappointing aspect of the new coaching staff. When you have a weapon like Spiller, you have to have plays that take advantage of his strengths. That is what separates the good coaches from the bad ones: the bad ones try to force feed what they want to do on their players while the good ones adapt their scheme to their player's strengths. They did begin to show signs of change towards the end at least. I also think the Bryce Brown trade was significant. . He will be their main inside guy with Fred and Spiller will have a more diverse role. Spiller also needs to be used in the passing game a lot more; 50 receptions should be his floor

The Bills really liked Preston Brown listening to their PC after the pick. It was a bit of a head scratcher for us fans at the time but after listening to the PC and looking over the roster, it makes perfect sense. First off, they had Brown rated as the best guy left on the board. Reason being was the fact that they feel he can man every single LB spot in this defense; he isn't just a MLB. He has prototypical size at 6'1" / 251 lbs to be a 43 LB. He has massive hands and long arms which is an added bonus. Louisville was one of the best defenses in college football last season and he was a team captain. He has been an integral part of that defense the past few seasons and they have something like a 30-4 record when he started. His intangibles are a big asset. He was a team leader and captain at Louisville. This defense has suffered in previous seasons due to the fact they haven't really had a leader in the huddle; someone that can hold his teammates accountable and get them going. His versatility is what made him the pick IMO. Brandon Spikes is the MLB and one of the best in the league; we only have him for 1 year though. Hopefully they can resign him because he is such a beast against the run but there are no guarantees. Then they added Keith Rivers to play SLB. He has had a disappointing career so far after being a top 10 pick but is a definite upgrade over what they had last season. Rolling out Alonso - Spikes - Rivers is a big upgrade. Brown can play SLB in case Rivers were to go down or is a disappointment. There is no question our run defense was the weakest link last year and cost them games. The majority of the blame for that would fall on the LB's; they just weren't getting the job done. Whaley said enough and completely revamped it. We now have a very good starting unit and a couple quality reserves in Brown and Bradham. I think a 3rd round pick is well worth it to solidify the weakest unit of a defense teetering on the brink of greatness. Brown can come in and cover for Spikes or Rivers and was one of the best tacklers in the draft. If this team wants to take the next step, the LB corp had to be addressed because there is no way you're winning the Super Bowl with the run defense of last season

I think Spiller has a monster season this year. Think back to 2012 when he had 1200 yards at 6.0 ypc. With the additions to the line, him returning to full health, the added weapons to WR corp, and vastly improved QB play, things should be wide open for him. He seems to be the forgotten man with all of the hoopla surrounding our new WR's and EJ Manuel. Spiller has the talent to be a top 3 RB and has proven he can do it with his 2012 performance. I'm really hoping Hackett goes back and watches the ways that Gailey set things up for Spiller. We have the personnel now to spread defenses out and make them guess. Watkins alone will draw a ton of attention and make those safeties back off. There should be a bunch of plays where Watkins works one side of the field and you send CJ out to the other side- make the defense pick which one they want to send safety help for. If they choose both, then the middle of the field will be wide open for Woods, Williams, and Goodwin. They definitely need to get him much more involved in the passing game then he was last season. He should easily have 50 receptions, if not more. He's just too good not to get him the ball in space on screens and wheel routes out of the backfield. The reason I'm so optimistic is the fact that teams won't be able to load up the box like they did last season cause there was zero threat of a passing attack. Spiller has shown he has the talent to be one of the best and we now have all of the tools in the toolbox for Manuel to kick start the passing game and back defenses off the line.

I totally agree. We definitely don't need a stud DE as I stated in the 2nd paragraph. I just would feel a lot better with one more vet in the rotation. Asking Hughes to play a lot of 1st and 2nd downs might be too much for him; I also want to save him for 3rd downs for his pass rushing. I just think acquiring another vet would be a very smart move. Someone like Brandon Graham or Derrick Morgan; guys in the Jerry Hughes mold- former 1st round picks that haven't lived up to their draft billing but a change of scenery could really spark them. I wouldn't want to spend more then a 5th round pick and ideally no picks at all; try and work out a player for player swap. I'm just afraid that if Mario Williams were to go down, we would be awfully thin at DE. That would leave Jerry Hughes and Manny Lawson as our full time starters- both of whom already have question marks whether or not they will be able to hold their own on run downs.

Morgan is an intriguing name. There was a lot of hype for him when he came out of college and there was some serious debate about whether we should have drafted him in the 1st. At 6'3" / 271 lb, he has ideal size to line up at DE in the 43. He struggled his first couple seasons but has bounced back and had 93 tkls / 12.5 sacks / 2 FF the last 2 seasons. He seems like a Jerry Hughes situation guy- a former 1st round pick who has become obsolete due to a scheme cheange.. He definitely is in no-man's land in their new 34 because I don't think he has the athleticism to man OLB. I'm not sure what he would cost in a trade but I wouldn't imagine anything more then a 4th or 5th rounder. I'd feel really good about this defensive line if they were able to add a player like him into the rotation. I love Hughes as our 3rd down, pass rushing specialist but he doesn't have the size to hold up an entire game playing all 3 downs. Also have to have some insurance in case Mario Williams were to get hurt.

DE seems like the last significant hole left on this roster after a pretty damn good draft by Whaley. I wouldn't rule out a Kelvin Sheppard for Jerry Hughes type trade to help fill that role or cherry picking a vet that falls victim to the June 1st cuts. We don't need a stud DE or anything. I think they very much like Hughes as their RE on passing downs after his breakout year last season. Hughes is listed at 6'2" / 254 lb which definitely isn't small for a 43 DE, especially when you have a 292 lb Mario Williams manning the other DE spot. He will be a mainstay on 3rd downs and other passing situations. Then you have Manny Lawson who was confirmed to be moving to DE. He has a very nice frame at 6'5" but is only 240 lbs. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they ask him to bulk up to at least 250 for the DE rotation. He has experience at DE from his college days when he was lined up with Mario Williams at NC State. Neither of those 2 are considered tiny; Schobel played for years a 43 DE at no more then 250 lbs. I still think they need another vet in the rotation for early downs and injury insurance. If Mario Williams were to go down, then they would have a pretty serious situation depth wise. Brandon Graham is an interesting name. I'm not sure what the Eagles would want for him but if they can get him for a 5th or 6th, I'd try and do that or maybe swap a player.

I think he was an insurance policy taken out by Whaley. There was no way he was going to get caught with his pants down in regards to the offensive line like what happened last season. His contract is right in line with a veteran back up if that's where he ends up. Whaley was thinking ahead & the possibility they might not be able to find a quality OG in the draft. Turns out they did in Cyril Richardson who I think will have an opportunity to win that LG spot. Even if Williams isn't the starter, he is an experienced linemen that can cover 4 of the 5 line spots. That is a tremendous asset on game days when you can only dress 7 linemen. Having a guy that you can plug into any spot along the line that has starting experience is huge.

Yea, Robey is tiny. He's listed at 5'8" / 165 lb which is actually smaller then Roscoe Parrish was listed. They also usually embellish those numbers so I wouldn't be surprised if he was smaller then that. I think they rotate Robey. Graham, and McKelvin at the nickle spot depending on the team they're playing. If you're playing the Jets and they put 6'5" Stephen Hill in the slot, you don't want Robey covering him; giving up nearly 10 inches. I also think the other safety spot will be rotational. Searcy will see time on run downs. Graham will probably see a lot of action there on 3rd downs. Duke Williams will be in the fold. There is also Meeks but I don't know where he fits in right now. Searcy played pretty well last season and I think he will only improve with another year of experience in the NFL.

I agree. You definitely can't get the job done with just massive individuals.. they need to be able to move. Richardson played in one of the best and most up tempo offenses in college football at Baylor. He is very good at pulling and in pass protection. He has pretty quick feet for a man of his size and his foot speed/ability to mirror the defender was praised in scouting reports. Kouandjio was one of the most athletic OT's in the draft. He isn't just a size guy either. He pretty much is your prototypical OT in today's NFL: 6'7" / 322 lbs, massive arms, and just 16% body fat. That is amazing to me. Watching him get drafted and in mini camp, he isn't "fat" at all; just massive dude who looks strong as an ox. He has huge arms which is key for your OT to be able to keep those DE's at bay from a distance.

From what I've read, I think this kid has a serious shot of starting by the end of the season. A lot of places had him as one of the top OGs, if not the best, in the draft. He was a high 2nd round pick in a lot of scouting reports. Luckily he had a bad weekend at the Senior Bowl. I also think a lot of Teams probably thought he wouldn't fit in their system. He is perfect in ours. Power run blocker that has mammoth size. Some scouts had his pass blocking just as good, if not better, them his run blocking. He had massive arms that are a huge asset in run blocking. I can't wait to see our running attack this year with the addition of him and Kouandjio. 6'5" / 340 and 6'7" / 325 are massive additions to the line. Just imagine the holes that those 2 will open up plus Glenn and Woods. Spiller should have some big holes to slice through. Bryce Brown is a bruising back that loves to cut inside and exploit holes that a bulldozer like Richardson open. I can't wait to see what Marrone can do with Richardson technique wise since he only had 1 year of HS ball & 5 years at Baylor. If he was that dominant as a raw prospect, just imagine how he'll look after a few months under Marrones's wings. I really like the direction this offense is heading. We will have size & muscle up front and the power in the backfield with the addition of Brown and Dixon to dominate teams in those cold, crappy 2nd half of the season games. Once the defense is worn out from getting pounded by the biggest oline in the NFL and Dixon/FJax/Brown, Spiller will be unstoppable

At the end of the day, if we franchised him again, he would've been pissed. He would've pulled the same injury shenanigans as last season and play just enough to make sure he got credited for the year by the NFL. Marrone is trying to build a winning club here with lots of young talent. You don't want an angry Byrd in the lockerroom, possibly undermining what you are trying to do. Why even waste the reps on him? It's like anything else in life: if you have someone involved who clearly doesn't want to be there, it's only going to slow everyone else down. They clearly liked Williams a lot after last season and extended him for 26 million. He took Byrd's spot last season and did a pretty good job.

Spot on. If he can do that for the Bills, he was worth the pick. Anytime you can dictate how the defense has to play someone, you have a pretty big advantage. Watkins is good enough that team's are going to have to put their #1 CB on him. That should leave plenty of plays for Mike Williams and Robert Woods.

I don't know how many times this can be said but the reason Watkins caught so many screens in the Orange Bowl, in which he was the Game's MVP, was because that is what the defense was giving them. He beat up defenses so badly down the field as a freshmen (First team All-American BTW as a True Freshmen... 1 of 4 EVER) that defenses just started to give him a huge cushion so they wouldn't get beat deep. 7-10 yard cushions because they were so terrified by his speed and route running. His coach was on the John Murphy show right after the pick and specifically addressed this issue. They weren't throwing him screens because he couldn't run routes down the field or was somehow limited athletically to just those plays. They were throwing him those screens because he was wide open in a BCS bowl game. Defenses' were just fed up with him beating them down the field that they wanted to make sure they had a safety deep and their CB deep enough so Watkins couldn't just burn by them with his sub 4.40 speed. Hence, the wide open short passes. For everyone whining about this, tell me why you wouldn't throw the ball to a wide open Sammy Watkins?? I don't get it. I have a feeling that some of you would complain if we drafted Jerry Rice (knowing he would turn into Jerry Rice) just for the hell of it. Watkins was the most dangerous WR in college football so of course they are going to feed him the ball in which ever way possible. Watkins consistently turned those 2 yard passes into 15 yard chunks. Those are 1st downs. What more can you ask for from a WR?

Sammy Watkins all day. Players like Watkins don't come around in every draft. On top of that, when they do come around, few teams are in position to be able to select them outright or make a move to get them. It's very hard to find a WR as explosive and athletically gifted as Watkins that can come into the league and be your WR1 from day 1. The Bills haven't had anyone near his skill level since Moulds and I think Watkins can be much better then Moulds. True #1 WR's are worth there weight in gold; especially in today's league where WR's have such a big advantage over DB's with the ways the rules are called. I liked Stevie a lot but he is not a #1 WR. That is a known fact. He is being paid close to a #1 WR because this team (and other NFL teams) are so desperate to find these true #1 wideouts. There just wasn't enough passing attempts to go around on this offense with the acquisition of Watkins and Mike Williams. Do you really want to pay your #3 or #4 almost 40 million dollars?? The Bills sure didn't. He also didn't really jibe with the new offensive system so there's also that. I think Whaley did a pretty good job getting a possible 3rd round pick for a kid they spent a 7th round pick on. If they stayed at 9, they probably would've taken Ebron. No thank you. I don't want to spend a top 10 pick on a kid who only scored 3 TD's his last year in school. The top 12 pick in 2015 is total guess work. I doubt it will be a top 12 pick and we don't know what it will be. I do know this team has a ton of talent now and should be able to get to 9-7 or 10-6 if Manuel stays healthy. That puts them more in the 18-25 range in a not very deep draft. So many underclassmen declared this year, next years draft will be watered down. I also would much rather give up that 1st next year then having to give up our 2nd and 3rd this year. Keeping that 2nd allowed us to get a 1st round talent at RT in Kouandjio (whom will probably be better then anyone available at their 2015 1st) and Cyril Richardson whom could be our starting RG at some point this season. I also really don't care about the 4th in 2015. Not going to be a very deep draft and I'm still shocked CLE was willing to take our 2015 picks and let us keep our 2nd and 3rd this year.

Robey proved he deserved a spot. His size will always limit him to the slot but there is no reason he can't be a very good slot guy in Dime for years to come. He's only listed at 5'8" / 165. He still had 39 tackles, 10 passes defended, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 TD I also am holding out hope for Ron Brooks to step up. He really has struggled and has battled injuries as well. He seems like he could be a very good reserve DB who can contribute big on special teams. Gilmore McKelvin Graham Robey Cockrell Those are the top 5 more then likely I think Graham plays all over the place in this defense. I'm not sure how many CB's they will keep but Cockrell isn't going anywhere. Ron Brooks is going to really show some things in TC to make the team

I have always been a big fan of adding talented offensive linemen & feel that games are won and lost in the trenches. Marrone and Hackett absolutely love to run the ball so there is no question the line had to be addressed after last season's dismal performance. Cyrus K is a day 1 starter @ RT and gets the worst rated RT against the run off the field in Erik Pears. The more I hear come out of his kid's mouth, the more I love the pick and Whaley's trade up for Watkins that was able to save our 41st pick. I'm feeling like the player they would get with their 2015 1st round pick will not be as good as this kid. In any other draft, Kouandjio is a 1st round pick: Listening to his interviews, the kid sounds like a born leader. I love what I'm hearing from him. His knee really doesn't worry me since our Dr's cleared him, Dr. James Andrews cleared him, and the fact that he did not miss a single practice or game after the surgery. The dude is 322 lbs with only 16% body fat. We now have 2 massive bookend OT's for the forseeable future in Glenn and him. Then Whaley goes and steals Cyril Richardson in the 5th round! I think he will push Urbik from day 1 in TC for that starting RG spot. Baylor has had one of the best offenses in the entire nation during his time there. The only knock on this kid was a poor Senior Bowl and concerns about his weight; he should've been as easy 2nd round pick. I feel like our training staff can keep right in that 325-330 lb zone where is most effective. Can't wait to see the holes that him and Cyrus open up for Spiller and Bryce Brown.

I thought Searcy played pretty well last season when Byrd was out. He finished up the season with: 71 tackles / 3.5 sacks / 7 Passes Defended / 1 INT / 1 TD Searcy is definitely a more traditional, in the box type SS at 5'11" / 220 lbs. He is much stouter against the run then Byrd was and I think a Williams/Searcy combo in the backfield provides this defense with much better run support from the safeties. I think it's Searcy's job to lose on early downs and either Graham or Duke Williams will cycle in on passing downs. Priority number 1 for this defense needs to be improving against the run. The staff definitely recognized that by adding Brandon Spikes, Keith Rivers, and Preston Brown to the LB corp. I think our all-pro defensive line is good enough to hold its own against the run & the major problem last year was the LB's. Moving Alonso outside allows him to make a lot more plays and not have to take on OG's as often (something he does not excel at) I will be very interesting to see how battles for the SLB spot in TC. Kiko is the WLB, where he is much better suited to use his outstanding athleticism. Spikes is he day 1 starter at MLB. He is absolute beast against the run as evidenced by his #1 ranking against the run the past 2 season. Adding him should bump our run defense a 3-5 spots off the bat. He claims he can be a 3 down guy & has a chip on his shoulder to prove that. He also brings a ton of aggressiveness which should really invigorate the entire defense. The battle for SLB will be intense. Keith Rivers was a former "can't miss" top 10 pick. He has all types of athleticism but injuries have really slowed him. Taking Preston Brown at 73 was a sign that they don't fully trust Rivers to lock that spot up. Whaley said Brown was the top rated player on their board and despite some scouting reports, can play every LB spot: At 6'1" / 251 lb, he has that ideal size. He was a team leader on the best defense in college football at Louisville. Brown is going to give them some much needed depth and might even be able to win that starting job. Whaley did a fantastic job of revamping this LB corp which will really improve the atrocious run defense.

He is a beast one on one with the CB. So many won jump balls for TD's in that highlight reel. Having a WR that can do that is such a tremendous asset for a young QB like Manuel: chuck the ball high over the CB's head & watch Mike Williams go up and get it. His "catch radius" is outstanding as well; he was able to grab poorly thrown passes all over the place... passes thrown to him don't have to be right between the numbers for him to come down with it. What a steal he was for a 6th round pick. Hopefully he realizes there is a ton of money on the line for him this season and he can keep his head screwed on straight. A WR of his skill set is the perfect fit for someone lining up opposite of Sammy Watkins when you think about it: Defenses are going to figure out pretty quick that they need to have safety help over the top of Watkins, which will leave Williams 1 on 1 with his CB. As shown in the video, he wins those 1 on 1 match ups & scores TD's pretty readily with his size. Looking back through the draft, I don't see any 6th round prospects on the board who come even close to Williams. I don't think this trade would've worked with Gailey or Jauron; they were too out of touch with the players. I think Marrone can get Williams pointed in the right direction and make him realize that his career is on the line aka $$$$$$

I posted this in the Watkins thread but it fits this thread perfectly: Clemson's coach was on WGR during the draft and addressed this criticism. To paraphrase, he basically stated that the high number of screen passes caught by Sammy his senior year was a product of the way defenses were playing him. DC's were absolutely terrified of Watkin's down the field by his senior year so they gave him a ton of cushion; 7-10 yards the CB's were playing off of him because of his speed. Clemson was more then happy to just start throwing screens to a wide open Watkins due to this huge cushion. Why wouldn't you throw to a wide open Sammy Watkins over and over if that's what the defense was giving you?? He is such a tremendous player after the catch, that he can turn those 2 yard screens into 15+ yard chunks with no problem. Just go look at what he did as a freshmen. He can run any route you want him to. The fact that he was just destroying CB's down the field was the reason he was given such a huge cushion his senior season. That is why I love this pick. He is a legitimate elite WR. He can do it all and score from anywhere. He has the height and athleticism to out jump CB's down the field. He has the size to run through them on screens. He has the agility of a RB with the ball in his hands.. just look at some of the cuts he makes in the highlight reels. Defenses are going to learn pretty quickly that you either give him a hefty cushion or he is going to run right by your CB. This will lead to having to shade the safety to his side of the field opening up all types of space for his teammates. He truly will make the entire offense more dangerous just by being on the field.

This silly notion I've been seeing that Watkins is a product of Clemson's spread/screens and won't be effective in the NFL is bunk. Clemson's coach was on WGR during the draft and addressed this criticism. To paraphrase, he basically stated that the high number of screen passes caught by Sammy his senior year was a product of the way defenses were playing him. DC's were absolutely terrified of Watkin's down the field by his senior year so they gave him a ton of cushion; 7-10 yards the CB's were playing off of him because of his speed. Clemson was more then happy to just start throwing screens to a wide open Watkins due to this huge cushion. Why wouldn't you throw to a wide open Sammy Watkins over and over if that's what the defense was giving you?? He is such a tremendous player after the catch, that he can turn those 2 yard screens into 15+ yard chunks with no problem. Just go look at what he did as a freshmen. He can run any route you want him to. The fact that he was just destroying CB's down the field was the reason he was given such a huge cushion his senior season. That is why I love this pick. He is a legitimate elite WR. He can do it all and score from anywhere. He has the height and athleticism to out jump CB's down the field. He has the size to run through them on screens. He has the agility of a RB with the ball in his hands.. just look at some of the cuts he makes in the highlight reels. Defenses are going to learn pretty quickly that you either give him a hefty cushion or he is going to run right by your CB. This will lead to having to shade the safety to his side of the field opening up all types of space for his teammates. He truly will make the entire offense more dangerous just by being on the field.

I'm blown away by Sammy Watkins. He is the total package. I've never been this impressed by a Bills' 1st round draft pick. First off, he is one of the most explosive and gamebreaking WR's to come out in years - Ran 0-20 mph in 2.6 seconds. Finished nearly .5 seconds quicker in the change of direction route running drill then the average of this year's very deep WR class. That speed translates into a full yard advantage off the bat then what NFL CB's are expecting. Thing is, he isn't just someone like Roscoe Parrish with a ton of speed but is fragile and goes down like its two hand touch. He has the size to bowl DB's over and has done so numerous times. He's at 212 lbs now and I wouldn't be surprised if they can get him closer to 220 without losing any speed. That size is what allows him to be effective on screens. Then there is his demeanor. His coach called him the most humble Superstar he's ever coached. He's busted his ass to get where he is. Very smart and well spoken. Caused no trouble at his HS and had one minor slip up at Clemson but who didn't f up once or twice in college?? His coach praised his leadership on the sideline and says he is very in tune with his teammates during the game when they're on the sidelines; always communicating. And one of my favorite things I've noticed: on his very first play at Clemson, 26 seconds into his 1st game, he took a screen pass to the house. That was impressive enough but I love the fact immediately after, he handed the ball right to ref. No show boating. Acted like he had been there before and scoring a TD wasn't winning the Super Bowl. On top of that, he was asked during his PC what kind of car he was going to buy with big, fat bonus. A BMW? Porsche? Bentley?. Nope. He pretty much said he had some bills to pay and wanted to take care of his mother & make sure all I got that was squared away. Then he would see where he was at & decide what kind of car after all that. I thought I was dreaming when I heard that. I can see why the Bills rated this kid so highly. Every single aspect of this kid is off the charts.

I hear ya but there are just not enough numbers available to start retiring numerous ones. 12, 34, and 78 are already off limits for the Bills. I don't think a team would be able to go much higher then that. I think that is one of the reasons the league has let WR's begin to wear numbers in the teens again; there are just too many WR's and TE's in today's game to limit them to just 10 numbers. Same with linemen.

I like it! 14 is an interesting choice and I like he steered clear of Stevie's old number. I actually like it better then 17 myself. Can't wait to grab my Watkins jersey.. Only thing left is to decide whether to go home or away? Favoring a white one but the blue is definitely sharp

My guess is 17. Apparently he stated he wants a number in the teens. He wore 7 early on in Clemson before going to 2. I am also patiently with waiting to hear. I would wait til cuts though because sometimes they see someone get cut and prefer that number.

Seriously. I'm not claiming EJ is going to be a pro bowler but to call him a bust after the mess that was last season is pretty short sighted. He showed some postives and negatives. We knew he was a bit of a "Project" when we drafted him. I don't see how you can judge him after just 10 games in a rookie HC/OC's brand new offense. He also missed a ton Of reps in TC/preseason due to injury. This season will be a much better indicator of what we have in him. Full year of NFL conditioning. He will have a full year in Hacketts offense. Much more experience with his WR's.