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If your scenario is true, 3yd pass with a 6yd run, as the average checkdown pass for Trent, how is that too much. Are those seven WR Screens the Patriots run every game to get eight or nine yards too many. You know, the ones where they throw it to Welker and he scoots out of bounds for eight or nine yards? Moving the ball is moving the ball. I don't care if they check down and are the most boring offense on the planet, as long as it moves the chains and scores points. The latter part is the problem. Note our poor redzone conversion percentage last year. Lots of teams have flashy plays all the time, but they don't go anywhere either. The Bills need to take more chances down the field. No question, but can we please stop with the argument that he checks down too often. If you look down field, and the guy isn't open on when you make the read, you can't hold onto him forever. Better he get rid of the ball and make a positive play, than take a sack for a fumble that leads to the game winning TD for the other team like JP I-Can't-Get-A-Contract-With-Anyone-Losman.

I think Roscoe is going to play fourth until he proves he can't hack it. If he is having a solid year, I don't think that Johnson sees much time on the field at tall. I see Hardy getting time in goal line situations for the height and the mismatches he can create when healthy along with TO and Evans. Reed should have a monster year. And as with every prognostication, I think it is too soon to say whether or not Johnson will ever have a year in his career like those that TO has had. The guy was a rookie last season who got most of his time playing at the end of the season. Let's see what he does when he can play a full season before predicting things concerning his performance.

Hi Tim, Great work covering all the ins and outs of the T.O. story. Wonderful reporting on your part. Anyway, I was wondering if you had heard anything new over the last couple of days concering the Bills plans for the offensive line, specifically the left guard spot vacated by Dockery. Best guess, is Buffalo going to obtain someone via trade or free agency, or are they more likely to go after multiple guys in the draft? Any rumors on this that you can and are willing to share? Thanks.

Not bad thinking atl. I also forgot about Whittle. I would not be surprised to see Jason Whittle starting at LG when the season starts if they can't find anyone else to come in through FA or get a solid G prospect in the first four rounds of the draft. I see Bell as the back up right tackle if Walker gets hurt. I also agree that if Alex Mack is there in the second round, we should find a way to get him, either moving up in the second or getting him with our pick should he fall back. There is also some solid guard talent available in the later rounds. Also agree that Simmons is a good short term solution, should the Bills get him to come in and play.

I think we need to find a LG in FA, and one with a modicum of starting experience on a good line. Trading for Waters from KC would get that done, but I also think that Kendall Simmons is good enough to fill that role. I think we need to sign at least one more OLB in FA as well, preferably Keiaho or June, whichever we can convince to come here for the right price. The rest of the pieces I think we can get via the draft. Round 1: Best DE available of Brown, Orakpo, Ayers. Maybin is too much like Erik Flowers for me to think we can take a chance on him. If none of the top three DEs are still on the board at that time, take Brian Cushing or trade down. Round 2: Best LB available. Even if we add Keiaho and June, we need more depth at LB. There is a pretty deep class this year and we should grab a very good talent with our pick. However, if Alex Mack C is still on the board, I think the Bills have to pick him and defer the LB selection to the third round. Round 3: Best TE/OL. We need help at TE and talented depth on the OL. Either option should be available here. I'll spare the commentary on the rest, but I would use picks to solidify the DL and OL further, and maybe take a safety in rounds five or six for depth. Our safeties are actually pretty solid, and will be better with a stronger pass rush. Getting another DE in FA would be a good idea for depth, but we need a first round talent at the position to help Schobel and to bring Ellis along.

While I agree that we need to get some players for the OL, I don't think that the OL is the number one priority. Our defense needs help, and as the old adage goes, defense wins championships. We need to take a DE in the first round, and an LB in either the second or the third. That would go a long way to helping the defense get back into the top ten. If Alex Mack is still available in the second round, we should take him. Other than that, the talent we need is at guard, and most of the good ones in this draft are third and fourth round talent. Top priority is the DE position and OLB. After those two are addressed, we can go for OL. Also, I think Buffalo is still going to sign another OL in FA and possibly an OLB, which would shift some of the priority focus for the early rounds in the draft.

The difference between Reyes and Hangartner is that Carolina let Reyes leave. Hangartner was a cap casualty for a team that was unbelievably over the cap. They wanted to resign him, but they didn't have the money to do that and to try and keep Peppers and Delholme. Also, Reyes didn't have the track record as a starter that Hangartner does playing either at the Center or the Guard position. I understand the point about TO. My only response to that is, doesn't one have to think that Hardy and Johnson will be that much better next season after another year to prepare and learn behind to of the better receivers in the game today. Both have a ton of raw talent, and both showed flashes of their potential at the end of the season. A TE is not going to come in and light up the scoreboard on day one. Receivers and TEs take time to develop, much more than one season. We have other needs that we should look at, like the OL and DL and LB that need much more attention this draft. Also, I wouldn't give up on Fine. He showed promise later in the season and he has solid hands. With TO, I bet he could have a great year. Not saying he is the long term answer as a starter at TE, but worth giving a look this season.

Actually, Carolina let Hangartner go because they were way over the salary cap and couldn't keep him. To suggest that he was let go because he was stinking up the joint is completely wrong. Carolina didn't want to let him go, but there were a lot of people that became cap casualties on that team that they didn't want to leave either. Hangartner is better than either of the two men he is replacing and would do a more than adequate job as a left guard. Carolina has had one of the better offensive lines in football, so to suggest that anyone on the line is below average is silly. As for Simmons, when he visited, he was put through the usual physical and passed with flying colors. Injuries happen, and this was a bad one, but that doesn't mean the guy can't play, and I don't think that it'll cost the Bills seven mil a season to sign him. As far as I can tell there haven't been any other takers, so the Bills may be his only option. As for Peters, both sides have said they are negotiating the new contract. Whether or not it gets done before the draft is irrelevant. As long as Peters knows he's getting more money, he'll show up. To suggest doom and gloom prophecies before the two sides have had a chance to really get the work in is premature. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bills didn't try to draft two good OLs in the draft. I think DE is the top priority, but Alex Mack may be there in the second round, and I think the Bills will draft him if he falls to us in the second, and there are a couple of guards who are excellent run blockers that are likely to be available in the third and fourth rounds. Suggesting that the line is going to be horrible next year because we sent one underperforming player packing is a chicken little argument. Let's see where the team is after the draft and FA are over before predicting another year of football Armaggedon.

Actually I think we should take Everette Brown at number 11 if he is still there for us as a DE option. As for Mack, most projections have him going in the second, true, but there are a lot of teams that have other needs, and I have seen him going in the third round in a few projections. That being said, I think taking him in the second round would be a good pick up, and hope we can grab a solid LB in the third round.

Other teams that run the Tampa 2 and need LBs. I'm not sure there are a whole lot of them, but teams are always looking to add veteran depth on the cheap. Buffalo would be smart to add one or both of these two guys to the team before the draft. We need depth and players who understand the scheme. We can't add guys assuming that the coaching staff is going to change. That sends the wrong message to the players, as well as the coaches.

Agreed. I think the problem was more with Kollar than anything else. I watched the guy play for four years at NC State, and he was a beast. Mario Williams was a better player with him in the middle there. He started to show some signs early last year, but then he stopped getting playing time, either due to injury or personnel decisions. Either way, I'd like to see what he can do in camp, assuming the Bills haven't cut him by that time.

Hangartner started at center for 15 games while with Carolina for one of the better OLs in football by the numbers. The guy is an upgrade over both Fowler and Preston. He's a legit starter on a line as big as the one the Bills have, and played well against some of the bigger NTs in the game. As for Fitzpatrick, he was not the best QB available in FA, no question, but he is good enough to step in if Trent gets hurt. Anyone who could win even 4 games with that horrible Cincinnati team last year can't be THAT bad. He's not a starter, no question, but he's better than Losman who came in and won NO games. Don't forget the Bills also signed Drayton Florence, who, while not having a great season last year, was the top free agent CB on the market the year before based on his production in SD. He's a very good signing and should allow McKelvin one more year to develop into a superstar. TO helps the Bills a lot on offense. It opens up the running game as teams will be harder pressed to stack eight on the line of scrimmage with single coverage on our top three wideouts, all of whom are capable of making plays all over the field. Part of the argument for drafting a TE so high was that there weren't very many talented receivers available in the draft this year after Crabtree, and that Reed wasn't good enough at the number two. Therefore, you needed a big, pass catching TE to give Trent another target. With To and his production, I see that as more of a luxury now than a necessity, though it is close to the line. As for 3rd Tier FAs, I would say that Bills haven't entertained anyone in that category. At LB, June and Keiaho are both very capable starters who would shore up a rotation that desperately needs another veteran presence and a solid draft choice in the first three or four rounds. Kendall Simmons would be a huge pick up at guard, and I still think that the Bills have a solid shot at signing him. Buffalo is likely to focus on the defensive line in the first round, likely taking Orakpo or Everette Brown if they are available. If not, I think LB is a good possibility, and that they go after Ayers in the early second round, or trade back into the late first to get him. After that, they will get some OL help, likely in the third and/or fourth round. There's no reason to think they are finished in FA and that they won't make some smart draft choices in the early rounds. Give the FO some credit. This is a big signing, and one they knew they had to make. Why is it that people complain the FO does nothing, then when they do something big, they complain that they did something big to help the team. Let's see how it plays out between now and the end of the draft and see where the team's needs are. After all, every team in the NFL has weak points.

As far as I know, he is still under contract with the Bills, until he is cut or is traded. He has a lot of talent, the problem was motivation. Maybe, just maybe, that trade deal that didn't work out last year will motivate him to play harder this season and get more reps. He never was the same after that foot injury though.

Switching a player from tackle to guard is not that easy. The footwork and blocking schemes are dramatically different. There's a whole lot of things you do on the interior line that a tackle does not do on the outside. Centers, however, can be switched, though it is not always a smooth transition. If Buffalo could draft Alex Mack in the second or third round (though likely it would have to be the former) we could move Hangartner over to G and start Mack at C. I just don't think there's a OG or C that is worth a first round pick in this draft. There are a few worth seconds and thirds though, and I think that the Bills should and will likely use one on the position at that time. Assuming they don't bring in another FA to fill the void. I still think that Kendall Simmons is a good, and likely option for the team.

Because while any of those three is likely to start if we drafted them in the first two rounds, there really isn't anyone with veteran experience and talent to back any of them up. Ellison is all right, but proved to be a bit of a liability at times last year. With Crowell gone, we need solid, veteran talent or else one injury will be the end of us at LB just like last year. Keiaho is a solid guy who has time left and plays very well in the Cover-2. June is a similar guy, but his numbers suggest he is starting to let down. I have no problem with the Bills taking Cushing at 11, assuming he's there and one of the top three DEs isn't around (and I don't mean Maybin). Otherwise, I say take an LB. That's a position of need on the D that we need to fill. I think we can get Ayers in the second round, or if need be, make a trade to get back into the late first and take him there.

Maybe it's just me, but perhaps we should wait and see how well Evans and Owens ACTUALLY play before we start ranking them as one of the top five best receiving duos in football. I have no questions about their talent and their numbers on paper. That being said, whether or not they actually live up to those numbers this season is another thing entirely. This thread would be better situated mid-to-late season, wouldn't it?

Quite right.

I think you're right on with this analysis. The only one we might consider giving a longer term deal to would be Keiaho. He's still pretty young, but has solid veteran experience after playing with the Colts in the same defense we run. He also knows how to win and get to the playoffs. The same could be said about June, but I think Keiaho is the better option. That being said, I like them both and sort of hope we can snag both of them. We need serious depth at LB and getting these two veteran guys on the team would give us a heck of a rotation and take away some of the injury worries we've had in recent years at the position.

I think Bell has some potential. Whether he's ready to start at LG or not is up in the air. We should get a pretty good look in OTAs and in the preseason. If the Bills think he is ready to play, that might be the reason they are waiting so long to bring in an FA to fill the gap in the line. That being said, I don't see Kirk Chambers as the answer at Guard, and he is more of a backup tackle than anything else. I see Bell being on the sheet as the backup at LG, after we either bring someone in or pick up a second or third rounder in the draft. Just can't see us taking a G in the first round with all the help needed on the D-Line.

Why exactly do we need an LT? I'm almost certain that Peters is going to get his new deal. That being said, the other positions you have listed are critical. I think the Bills will sign one of the three LBs that came to town on free agent visits by the end of the week. I don't have any inside information, I just have suspicions. I also think the Bills are still looking to bring in Kendall Simmons to play guard, but only time will tell. As for the draft, I see Buffalo taking the best defensive end available with our first round pick, then grabbing either a TE or a C in the second and whichever of those we didn't pick in the third. After that, they'll draft for depth at positions of need on the OL, DL, and at LB. Another possibility that I would like to see would be to agree to a trade down from #11 for an additional second or third rounder.

I think the Bills would be smart to sign both June and Keiaho. We need serious depth at the LB position, and since we won't be bringing Crowell back, Buffalo needs talent. As of right now the starters at LB would be Mitchell-Poz-Ellison. I'd rather have Mitchell-Poz-June, with backups Ellison-DiGiorgio-Keiaho. Then you could rotate without losing much in the way of ability at the LB and we won't all be freaking out if two of our LBs go down. Also, I think the Bills will obtain guard help from somewhere. Last I checked, Kendall Simmons hadn't signed anywhere, and even though there hasn't been any more talk on the major news sites, I think the Bills are still interested in trying to trade for a known quantity at LG if Simmons doesn't work out. As for DE, I think that is going to be the target in the first round of the draft, and TE will be addressed in the second round. Likely line depth after that. Taking the chance on TO really does help us out in all phases of the game. Scoring more points will make the D's job easier as well. All we can do is wait and see I suppose, though Brandon suggested in his interview on BB.com that the Bills were not done shopping in FA. One of the best offseasons we've had in years, IMHO.

Maybe this is why the Bills have been waiting so long to make a move and obtain a legit number 2 WR in free agency. Hopefully, Buffalo will show some serious interest and offer him a contract that will get him to Buffalo. This guy would make our offense instantly better.

Tim, Thanks for doing this. I have two questions. First, now that Coles is signed in Cincinnati, what is Buffalo's next option in looking for a legitimate number 2 wide out opposite Evans in free agency? OBD seemed to say Galloway was in the building today, but that doesn't seem like the best option. Second, is there any remaining truth to the rumor that Buffalo is pushing hard to get Brian Waters from KC to plug the gap created by Dockery's departure at LG? It seems that any speculation on that point has fizzled away.

Well, you can add Cincy back to the list of teams interested in Coles' services. I think our chances of getting him signed are pretty slim, unless we are willing to pay him at the same rate the Seahawks are now going to pay Housh. Still, maybe the FO will be able to get something done this afternoon/evening and get Coles off the market before other teams swoop in.

Very true. Also, seems like the other teams who may have been interested are betting on other options. Miami has clearly said no to Coles, and Cincy is pushing hard to resign TJ. I think we're pretty much in the driver's seat on this, especially since the offer is out there. I don't necessarily like the fact that we're winners here by default, but a win is a win and getting him into our offense is a win.