smapdi

This is a tough call to make after an injury shortened rookie season. Right now, I feel like he can get this team to the playoffs this season IF: - The Bills dramatically address the offensive line in the draft. I'm talking a day 1 starter at RT (Fingers crossed that Jake Matthews is there @ 9). Eric Pears is terrible & the worst run blocking OT in football; this team's break and butter) & then another OG as early as round 3. Injuries happen and there should be some pretty damn good OG's available in the 3rd or 4th. - They acquire a legit TE in the draft: A good TE is a young QB's best friend & Chandler just isn't a starting caliber TE IMO. A kid like Troy Niklas in the 2nd would be ideal. 6'6" / 270lb mauler that loves to block & played the vast majority of his snaps on the line unlike most of the top TE prospects. That would give Manuel another huge target, improve run & pass blocking, & move Chandler into TE2 where he is much better suited. Niklas also could be a beast in the redzone along the lines of Rob Gronkowki with that size and a 32 inch vertical. That pretty much makes him uncoverable on jump balls in the redzone - He plays consistently. We don't need Peyton Manning or Drew Brees to be a playoff team. Keep things simple for him & get the ball into your playmaker's hands to do the work. Adding Mike Williams to this team was a great move by Whaley. He is exactly the type of WR that fits into the keep it simple role. Throw it up to him and he'll out muscle the DB to come down with it and use his outstanding run after the catch skills. Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods, Mike Williams, Marquise Goodwin, CJ Spiller, & TJ Graham can all do some serious damage with the ball in their hands. Manuel needs to improve on putting the ball where these guys can catch it in stride & do their thing. We have a playoff caliber defense that can do most the heavy lifting. Manuel just needs to keep the chains moving & let Spiller/FJax do most of the hard work. That mean's keeping the defense honest with the deep ball to Goodwin and Graham & the intermediate stuff to Stevie, Mike Williams, and Robert Woods. Our defense's biggest issue was the fact they were on the field so much due to 3 and outs.

Absolutely have zero issues with it. I loved listening to WGR this afternoon listening to people cry about this like babies I love Spike's attitude and intensity. I have no problem at all with him counting on beating the Patriots. Isn't that the goal of the game? Win as many games as possible. How many times have Belichick and Brady curb-stomped us in our own house & Foxboro over the past decade? They have run up the score & embarrassed pass Bills' teams too many times. What bothers me the most about it is the fact that no one those team's seemed to even care. Heartless. No emotion on the sidelines or after the game. It was f'ing pathetic. It was like they expected to be blown out @ home on national television in that 52-whatever decimation that one Sunday night. Brandon Spikes is not the type of player that will just lay down and take it. He wants to win games & accomplish that by imposing fear on the opposing ball carrier. He was the heart & soul of that dominating Florida Gators team. He is a Ray Lewis type presence in the locker room that will step up & motivate the rest of the defense. This defense is on the cusp of greatness but is lacking that Ray Lewis type "spark plug" to fire everyone else up. Guys like Mario Williams & Kyle Williams are great players but not that vocal leader that you need to be successful. To be an effective leader, you need to be great at what you do like the Williams... they just aren't that type of fiery presence. Spikes is the best at what he does: Punish RB's- he rates out as the best ILB against the run over the past 2 seasons so he has walk to back up his talk. He obviously feels like NE wronged him & wants payback. I think that was one of major reasons he signed here because of our 2 games against them. This is what he wants to do to NE & the rest of the league: http://youtu.be/AYDuOzKA-Rk Boy oh boy do I LOVE this signing on so many levels. One of the best ILB in the NFL in the prime of his career. Vocal & intense team leader. Instantly improves our run defense. Allows Kiko Alonso to move outside where he can use his athleticism more effectively. Has a hatred of NE that you can't just teach your players. Just imagine what he will be able to do playing behind the best d-line in football?? I think he has a pro-bowl season & becomes a true 3 down LB. NE's d-line was a joke last season due to injuries & isn't as good as the Bills line even when healthy.

Great stat. He is one of the most explosive players in fhe league. Why you would want to get rid of that is beyond me. Play calling was pretty terrible last season. Spiller needs more touches in the passing game. Couple that with the worst QB play in the league & one of the worst lines and you get last season. He is a straight up gamer. Was willing to play through injury & still managed 4.6 ypc on a completely one dimensional offense with a terrible o-line

Couldn't agree more. I don't understand how anyone can be against taking an elite OT in the 1st?? Elite big men don't grow on trees; there is a reason the top OT's get picked consistently high, There just aren't that many players out there who are 6'6" / 310 lb's that can move. Adding a top OT is almost a no-brainer to me: -Immediate impact at their worst position (Pears was the worst run-blocking RT in the league) -They will make a difference on every single snap- Ebron or Evans might catch 50 ballls; and that's if Manuel can even stay upright -Versatility- If Glenn goes down, we can slide over Matthews or Lewan and not skip a beat. Matthews has the ability to play every single spot on the line -Will give us two top tier, bookend tackles for the next decade -We spent a 1st on Manuel- we got him some weapons and now we need to protect him -If Manuel isn't the answer, we have a good line in place for the next QB After I went OT at 9, I would begin looking at the best OG available in the 3rd round. Depth is critical unless you want Legursky or Colin Brown back in there I'm also all for Niklas at 41 for our new TE. One of the few TE's that played on the line and is known for his dominating blocking. 6'6" / 270lb that loves to block. Like another OT out there. Games are won and lost in the trenches and it was clear that our o-line was just not good enough last season.

I'm a lot more optimistic. I had a very intricate break down but lost it so here is a quick run down: We have a playoff caliber defense. Our defensive line is the best in the league: Mario Williams - 13 sacks Kyle Williams - 10.5 sacks Marcell Dareus - 7.5 sacks Jerry Hughes / Manny Lawson - 10 sacks / 4 sacks That is 45 sacks from just our line. That would be good enough for 7th overall in the NFL. 57 sacks total. With such a dominating pass rush, its no surprise we were 2nd in the league in INT's with 23 (Byrd only had 4). They also forced 12 fumbles (6 recovered) It wasn't all great though. The run defense was an issue. Luckily, we have a GM that "gets it". All he did was sign the top rated ILB against the run over the past 2 seasons in the prime of his career in Brandon Spikes. NE's d-line was in shambles last season & I can't wait to see what he can do playing behind our line. He is the type of LB this team has needed desperately for ages. That signing also allows us to move Kiko Alonso outside where he should be able to make even more plays. All he did his rookie year was put up 159 tackles. 2 sacks, 4 INT's. and 8 passes defended. Signing Graham gives us 4 legit CB's, which is very important in today's game: Gilmore & McKelvin outside / Roby & Graham inside The defense also faced the 7th most plays due to the offense only having 28:40 of possession. If we can improve the offense, the defense should thrive and become an elite unit. Players like Gilmore, Alonso, Dareus, A. Williams, Roby, & Spikes will only improve as well with more experience. The offense doesn't need to be the Bronco's for this team to make the playoffs. They just need to keep Manuel healthy & allow him the opportunity to progress in his 2nd year. The offense was so terribly one-dimensional last season that it was doomed. Between Manuel/Lewis/Tuel, teams knew they could stack the box & they weren't going to be beaten by the passing game. That left Spiller and FJax facing a lot of 8 man fronts & 3 and outs. We really need Manuel to step up & be able to utilize his 3 very good WR's. Make teams pay for stacking the box on Spiller/FJax. If he can do that, I see no reason Spiller can't return to 2012 form and even improve on that. The offensive line was atrocious which is what should be addressed in the first with one of the big 3 OT's & then a OG as early as the 3rd. Mike Williams was a great addition and gives them another red-zone threat (25 TD's in less then 4 seasons). TE is the next biggest holes and we should be able to find a major upgrade at 41. Whether that is ASJ or Niklas. I like Chandler but think he is much better suited for TE2... I just don't trust him in big situations. If they can address the o-line in this draft with at least a legit starting RT, I can see us being a wild card team.

Chandler definitely had production but also had a lot of costly mistakes. I frankly don't trust him if the game is on the line. I like him a lot better as a TE2 then the starter. I also feel like a TE will provide a lot more impact in this offense then a WR would. I don't see them rolling out 4 & 5 WR sets very often. A top tier TE could come in and have a chance to win starting job. Whether they want explosive, receiving threat in ASJ or the more traditional, inline blocked in Niklas; either of them will provide a major impact off the bat. I'm desperate to make the playoffs this season; not just improve to 8-8. F that. 15 years is enough. Get Manuel a revamped line to keep him upright & give him time and see if he is the answer. Williams was a great pickup with 25 TDs in less then 4 seasons & then a TE like ASJ or Niklas would add yet another redzone weapon

All hinges on this draft & Manuel. The offensive line still needs major help at RT & more depth. They simply weren't good enough last season & losing Levitre was a much bigger loss then they thought. Adding one of top 3 OTs in the 1st is critical IMO. They get one of the worst RTs in league out of lineup & provide us versatility. Any of them can slide over to LT if Glenn goes down. Matthews can play any position on the line. If you can dominate in the trenches, that makes life easier for everyone else. I would also like to see them add another guard as soon as the 3rd or 4th. TE also is a major hole. Chandler is not a starting NFL TE; he'd be a great TE2. Would love Niklas in the 2nd due to his blocking ability & he's an actual in-line TE. Those 2 moves along with Williams move gives Manuel 3 legit red zone options along with much better protection. We need the passing game to produce so teams can't stack the box on Spiller/Fjax. I think the defense is playoff caliber. Especially if the offense can improve & put them in better spots

With the addition of Williams, Evans seems like overkill for a team that really isn't going to air it out. We have Williams & Woods as our outside guys and Stevie in the slot. They are quite high on Goodwin & just spent a 3rd on Graham. I just don't see where Evans gets the snaps to warrant the 9th overall pick. I feel like TE would have more of an impact & they can get a very good one in the 2nd. BUT, if they truly feel Evans is an elite prospect & has Megatron light written on him, I won't argue. I just feel like after the acquisition of Williams, we are set at WR. I don't see them running too many 5 WR sets. On the other hand, Chandler really isn't a left starting TE. Much better suited in TE2 role.

Right now, I'm hoping there is a major run on QB's I'm the top 8 along with Evans & Watkins going. That should drop Matthews to us @ 9 - I'd much rather have Matthews then Lewan. Then in the 2nd, address our 2nd biggest need @ TE with Niklas. I just think Niklas fits in this offense much better then ASJ. He is one of the few top TE's with significant time playing on the line rather then being split out most of the time. He's 6'6" / 270lb with the strength that makes him a very good blocker- something the Bills hold in very high regard. He also has the tools to be a very good receiver & one hell of a red zone threat. He would also allow us to move Chandler to TE2 where he is much better suited. Getting Niklas and Matthews in the 1st 2 rounds really improves our run blocking. Pears was rated as the worst run blocking RT & we were 8th worst run blocking unit overall. Manuel would have much better protection plus 3 legit, big red zone targets: Mike Williams, Troy Niklas, & Scott Chandler.

Love you bring up Percy Harvin because that is the type of role Spiller is best suited for. Get him the ball in space & let him use his elite athleticism to absolutely destroy defenders in space I think a lot of posters are basing their opinions on Spiller against what they think the "classic" NFL RB is. Spiller is never going to be a 300 carry workhouse & that isn't why they drafted him. They drafted him in the top 10 because of his uncanny ability to score a TD any time he touches the ball. His 52 TDs at Clemson are the reason he went top 10. Spillers sweet spot, IMHO, is right around 200-220 carries (12-15 a game) & 60-70 receptions (4-5 per game). If they can get the line sorted out and Manuel can be consistent, he should be in 1800-2000 (1100-1200 rushing/ 700-800 receiving) yards from scrimmage area. The majority of those catches should be in the screen game- easy, low risk pass for Manuel & gets Spiller the back in space. With him being back to 100% health, improving the passing attack is critical. You can't be one-dimensional & expect to have a good offense. That is why I want a big 3 OT in 1st. Matthews & Lewan excel blocking in the 2nd level- integral to running screens. If a player as dynamic as CJ Spiller doesn't "fit" in your offense, you need to throw your playbook in the garbage. I also think we should look at a RB later on in case of injuries to FJax or Spiller. Fred isn't getting any younger..

AP is a beast and on his own level & a totally different back then Spiller Charles is a much better comparison to what Spiller could be. He should be catching 60-70 passes a season. I'm cutting it off at 200 because that is a significant amount of carries. Over 10 a game. It just wasnt a couple of long runs on 80 carries.

I have no problem with taking Mack if the top 3 OT's are gone. It's a possibility if teams fall in love with QB's with at least 4 teams ahead of us needing one. Add Clowney in and that leaves Mack or Watkins being there for us. Mack would be one hell of a player and give us one of the most dominating front 7's in the AFC: Alonso - Spikes - Mack Williams - Williams - Dareus - Hughes/Lawson Whoa Nelly !

That's part of the reason he had an off year. Teams knew they weren't going to get beat in the passing game so they loaded up on the run. The Bills were horrendous passing the ball last season. Another part was his injuries. He depends on his ability to cut and agility & knee/ankle sprains are not good for that type of back. And then finally you have atrocious line play. I'm not giving Spiller a free pass but to solely blame him for his down season is unfair.

Did a little digging and here we go: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/20/taylor-lewan-faces-misdemeanor-assault-charges/ “I wasn’t in any fight of any kind,” he said. “I was actually breaking something up and some guy said that I slugged him. But that’s not who I am off the field, that’s not the kind of person I am. I might seem that way because of the way I play football, but that’s not who I am as a person." If that's all there is, I'm too concerned. OSU and MICH is one of the biggest rivalry in all of college and I'm sure there were multiple sides to that story. The other major incident is a 'he said she said" rape accusation. He was never accused to raping her but of threatening to *supposedly* I for one love the fact he plays with a mean streak on the field. The Bills need some enforcers on offense. I want this team going in a totally new direction. The signing of Spikes was a great start. Woods plays with an edge. I have no problem bringing in some hard nosed linemen

How is that twisting facts? Go look for yourself: RB's with a minimum of 200 carries who have 6.0 ypc are a very small group. I only went back 5 years. And 200 attempts is 13 carries a game. And 30 attempts a game is 480 carries. Not even close to reality. Thank you, try again

Since you've obviously seen a lot more of him then a lot of people around these parts, do you really feel like he is that big of risk off the field? I've read he would've gone in the top 3 of last year's draft in that OT class. Do his red flags really merit passing on a pro-bowl caliber OT? Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have Matthews or Robinson but there is not a chance Robinson is there and about a 40% Matthews makes it.

I bet it is just so they guarantee a sell-out No way that game goes un-sold out even if they're terrible.

Oh hell yeah This would be an awesome game to go to. Wonder if it will be early in the season?? If the Thanksgiving report is true, looks like the nation is starting to pick up on this team.

I'm definitely intrigued by Martin in a trade down scenario. NFL.com has him graded at a 5.97 while Lewan is a 6.18 so that isn't a huge drop off. He has a ton of experience starting 52 games at ND. 2 time captain with "sparkling intangibles" and a hardworking leader. NFL's write up has him a player who's length "dictates" he moves inside. I guess it's up to the Bills and Marrone is they think he is RT material. He also doesn't give you that flexibility to move over to LT but that isn't exactly a deal breaker since Glenn is cemented there. I feel like he is trade down material for sure but I'm no expert on college OT's. I personally would be shocked if Lewan wasn't there for us. Especially since TB is now in the market for a WR like Evans. Also, if all 3 of those top 3 are gone, that could mean a player like Mack could be there for the taking.

I wasn't thrilled with his 4.6 ypc but some people were making him out to be a total bust. I'm sure a lot of people around here would be all over Matt Forte, the 2nd leading rusher in the NFL last year- he averaged 4.6 ypc When used correctly, Spiller is just too talented to trade away. Guys like him win you football games. Even if you got a 2nd for him, that player wouldn't have the ability to take over games like Spiller can. Yes, he's never going to be a 300+ carry, jam it down your throat guy but that was apparent when they drafted him.. it just didn't come out of nowhere. Over the past 5 seasons, only 3 players have managed to average 6.0 ypc on over 200 attempts: Adrian Peterson, Jamall Charles, and CJ Spiller There is no reason Spiller shouldn't be the focus of this offense next season. If we can get a OT like Lewan or Matthews who can dominate in the 2nd level, he should eat teams alive in the screen game. I'm talking 60-70 receptions should be a no brainer.

Spot on. I understand a lot of people are hesitant about Lewan about his off the field stuff; I'd much rather have Matthews or Robinson myself. Still, he is one mean, nasty linemen. Very athletic - 4.87 forty, 30.5 inch vertical, 117" broad jump, and 7.39 3 cone; all of which made him a top performer for the o-linemen at the combine. He has that elite size @ 6'7" / 309 LB with 34 inch arms. He is one of the best in the class at getting to the 2nd level; integral when you have a back like Spiller. Tough and durable. A lot of "draftniks" are saying he would have went in the top 3 in previous drafts without much hesitation. If all 3 of them are gone, I'm against Martin at 9. He is a tier 2 guy and not worth a top 10 pick. His size worries me the most at only 6'4" with a short wing span; we know the Bills like their linemen big. He just doesn't jump off the page like Robinson, Matthews, or Lewan does.

Exactly. Completely no loss situation for the Bills. If he implodes, then so what. It's not like the 6th round pick would've made much of an impact. If he shows some progress and stays out of trouble, they probably try and re-negotiate. If he returns to form, and catches 10+ TD's again, then everything is gravy and we have our WR1 with size.

Per that post: 43.8% of sacks attributed to blown blocks: 21 sacks 15.6% to confusion: 7.5 sacks So that's nearly 30 sacks attributed to poor o-line play 40.6% due to coverage: 19.5 sacks Now these would be a mixture of poor QB play and poor WR play. Either WR's weren't getting open or our young QB's were not finding open WR's. Very tough to determine the culprit unless you have access to coaches' film and can break down every single sack. I'm not positive, but could these "coverage" sacks also be attributed to the QB being rushed into a bad throw due to poor blocking? Further down in that post, ProFootballFocus rated Eric Pears as the 2nd worst RT in ALL of the NFL in run blocking & the entire unit 8th worst overall in run blocking. Very good break down none-the-less. Good work What this tells me is a couple things: 1. EJ Manuel needs to stay healthy- Jeff Tuel and Thad Lewis completely kill this offense; our bread and butter will be the running game & win the defense knows you cannot attack them down the field, they are going to stack the box. This team cannot be one dimensional and be successful on offense. We don't need Peyton Manning. Fitz was able to keep teams honest and open things up for Spiller (6.0 ypc) and FJax. 2. The line needs to be upgraded- Levitre was a huge loss. Just look at how bad we were running the ball to the left side (32nd) even with a mauler like Glenn playing LT. Chris Williams should be an upgrade over Legursky or Brown 3. Eric Pears cannot be our opening day starter at RT. He is terrible at run blocking and that is not good in a run oriented offense I still am all for going one of the top 3 RT's at 9. Pears is terrible and needs to go. We also have very little depth; if Glenn were to go down, do you really want Eric Pears playing LT?? Lewan or Matthews could slide right over to LT.

Good call. I'll check that out I still feel like the o-line is the biggest issue on this team currently. Maybe this thread will change my mind... I'm very open minded as long as the numbers make sense

You should check out this link: http://www.footballo...rs.com/stats/ol Bills were ranked 29th in pass protection according to their metrics allowing 48 sacks I don't know how allowing 48 sacks is anything other then terrible. Yes, our QB play was awful but the line wasn't much better. Spiller went from 6.0 ypc to 4.6ypc. That wasn't all just due to injuries. Digging even deeper, the Bills were 30th in league running at the LE (RT side) @ only 2.13 adjusted line yards Definitely check out that link if you think the offensive line was anything other then bad last season I just think that the drop off from the top 3 of Robinson, Matthews, & Lewan is just too great to find an immediate starter. People have thrown around Martin but he will be gone by our 2nd round pick and there are questions about his ability to play RT at only 6'4