2020 Our Year For Sure

Everyone say hello to broad, sweeping generalizations.

I don't expect the Bills to sign Clements because he's worth more to other teams than he is to the Bills, a cover 2 team. Something would seem wrong if a cover 2 team were willing to employ the league's highest paid cornerback.

Do you think there's any chance Meachem, WR Tennessee will be available for our pick in the 2nd round?

One point I haven't seen addressed is the fact that once Tim Anderson is let loose, the defensive tackle brought in must be able to play on the nose. We need two NTs and two UTs in the rotation. I wouldn't want to see the result of the undersized Tripplett being put on the nose, and I'd like to let McCargo continue to develop at the pass rushing tackle position. So when you talk about drafting a defensive tackle, you have to consider that in all likelihood it would have to be a nose tackle. As 1st rounders go, obviously Okoye can't play on the nose, so if you're going to keep McCargo and Tripplett, Okoye is a stretch. Branch could probably play the NT spot, so if he falls to us I have no problem taking him. Pitcock, I don't know much about, and I don't really care as taking him at 12 seems like a stretch to me based off what I've read. So if Branch isn't there when we go on the clock, I believe we should look elsewhere, particularly DE. In the cover 2 you must generate a pass rush from your defensive line, and the brutally inconsistent pressure from the Denney/Kelsay combo on the left side isn't enough for me. I'd want to let Kelsay walk in free agency, and grab either Jamaal Anderson or Gaines Adams at 12. If they don't want to go that route, I'd think about Patrick Willis, but I'd also have no problems turning my sights to Dwayne Jarrett. We have a chance to have a great offense here with Losman, Evans, and an offensive line that showed itself to be on the rise in the 2nd half of '06. All thats really missing is a stud at Guard (free agency hopefully) and a 2nd playmaker in the passing game. I think Dwayne Jarrett can help this offense tremendously in taking the next step forward. As for DT, I think McCargo and Kyle Williams both having another year both in the NFL and in the cover 2, and with Williams getting a healthy dose of offseason conditioning, we should see improvement from that pair. I'd look to solidify the rotation with a free agent nosetackle such as Ian Scott, or a 3rd-5th round draft pick. But I think we're better off with a DE, WR, or even a LB in the 1st round.

I'm certain I'm in the minority here, but I'd rather see us take a DE at 12 than a DT. In the cover 2, its imperative that you generate a pass rush with your front 4. I don't care if Kelsay and Denney combined for a decent sack total, the pressure just wasn't there from that side. The vast majority of the time, if Schobel couldn't get through, the opposing quarterback had a day and a half to sit back there and find an open guy, and thats unaccpetable. It isn't fair to Schobel to put that on him and it won't be enough for this defense to be top-notch. With these things in mind, I say we let Kelsay walk in free agency, because he and Denney are strikingly similar players. Then we use the 12th overall draft pick on one of the highly-rated DEs. We sit tight at DT with McCargo coming back from injury, Williams getting into the strength and conditioning program (which most of us agree can help him), Triplett returning, and I'd advocate adding a free agent nose tackle (Ian Scott?) to replace Tim Anderson. With McCargo and Williams having a year's experience both in the NFL and in the cover 2, we should see some improvement. That's not to mention a solid nose tackle in Ian Scott replacing Tim Anderson, who just can't cut it. I'll have Jamaal Anderson, please and thank you.

Do you think there's a chance he falls to 32nd?

The best thing about this post is the solid evidence you back it up with. You make a great case, I've been turned.

Lets not go overboard here. Remember that we are a cover 2 team, and we are talking about a cornerback here, the least important position in our scheme. I'm not going to "seriously wonder about this franchise" because they don't want to employ the league's highest paid cornerback in a system that doesn't require him to the extent that others do. I too agree with the principle of re-signing our own draft picks, but not to the point where I'd invest this much money in Nate Clements. Let him walk, re-sign The Beast, and let he, McGee and Youboty handle our top 3 cornerback spots. Then use a second-day draft pick on a corner to bring some depth and potential to the table. In my mind, that would suffice at corner, and we could spend that big money on a Lance Briggs, Daniel Graham or an Eric Steinbach.

Agreed. I'm fairly certain he's fourth on the depth chart at this point. Without some kind of unexpectedly outstanding preseason, I don't see him making next year's roster.

So he'll be somewhere between a mediocre 3rd down back and one of the most reliable every-down backs in recent memory. Not exactly narrowing it down.

How exactly does a division qualify as "physcially tough"?

Meh, at least you realize Fletcher-Baker doesn't make tackles behind the line of scrimmage because he's performing the task our coaches assign him in our version of the cover 2. You're okay in my book.

Right up until he starts to enter his physical prime, at which point he leaves for greener pastures in free agency. If the scenario plays out as posted, I'd hope we could find a way to move up a spot or two and grab Branch, and if not, select either Dwayne Jarrett or a linebacker at #12. I wouldn't rule out a trade-down, either.

People are STILL putting Michael Vick into these kinds of discussions?

Six out of those eight players are pure pass rushers, an area of the game where physical ability can reasonably overcome inexperience. Only one of them was asked to play middle linebacker in a cover 2 defense. This does nothing to prove that anyone other than the freakish Brian Urlacher can play MLB in the cover 2 as a rookie.

Not to me, at least. No disrespect intended, but I can't see how someone can complain with the way this line performed in pass protection. In my belief pass protection in the NFL just doesn't get much better than we had the 2nd half of the year. JP consistently had time to drop back and make his reads. It was a pleasant surprise after the shift on the line. Run blocking is a different story, of course, and I agree with you in that improvements must be made at Guard this offseason.

Using that logic it makes just as much sense to say we should have taken Marques Colston at #8, and he was selected 4 picks before the draft ended. Second guessing a pick based on the fact that in hindsight a whole season later you think someone else would have been a better pick is pointless. We got a guy who looks like he'll be a good player at an important position in our defense and at a spot that was a position of need for us. I'll watch him develop, and judge him after 3-4 years in the league, just as I would any other 1st round pick.

We DO emulate the Patriots. I don't see how that means we don't hate them, though.

Watching the Patriots lose is a consolation prize, thats all. Doesn't make the Bills any better, just makes me feel a bit better.

Why do we want a 19-year old with potential? So he can walk when he's ready to become a player?

Did you watch this team the 2nd half of the year? Pass protection doesn't get a whole lot better in the NFL than we had it from the bye week through week 16. As for run blocking, I agree that its weak, however I don't see us taking a tackle in the first round. Obviously we're set with Peters, and I wouldn't understand wanting to draft somebody 12th overall to replace Pennington when he was so solid in pass protection as a 7th round rookie, and with the size he has. Let McNally work with him. I think they'll be bringing Gandy back as well as we did have some success running left. I want Preston replaced this offseason but not with a Guard picked 12th overall. I highly doubt we'd take a center there as well. There's nothing wrong with grabbing Dwayne Jarrett if he's around...

Does the Tampa 2 really call for the middle linebacker to be charging into the backfield? I believe our system relies on the defensive line to be the attackers against the run, and Fletch is given the task of getting to the ball carrier if he gets to the second level, which happened quite a bit this year. His tackle numbers show he's handling that task just about as well as we could hope for. Add to that his coverage skills which are important in this system, and he seems like a good option, at least for a couple more seasons. Correct me if I'm wrong with my understanding of the system as I'm no expert.

Uh...why? Losman has ONE solid option to get the ball to. Good offenses have more than one weapon. Having Peerless Price starting at reciever is an embarrassment. It's okay to start scrubs in that spot when you've got Tom Brady or when you have Tomlinson and Gates on your offense. It is not okay when you're the Bills with their non-existant running game and total lack of production from TE/FB in the passing game. We have to give Losman another solid target this offseason one way or another. If there's no DTs Marv likes and Jarrett falls to 12, I can't fault Marv for pulling the trigger. The matchup problems a guy like him could present would allow JP to stop locking onto Evans, which would be huge for this offense. Sure, we have other needs, but the draft is more than one round. Just because WR is the sexy pick, it isn't necessarily a bad pick.

Aye, but there's a reason why we don't have the technology. I have to think if we had made it a priority during these last two terms to find alternative energy sources we'd be in better position now to become marginally less dependent on oil. There's no way to know for sure, but I don't agree with the lack of emphasis we've put into alternative energy and the environment. Instead of stopping the gays from marrying and worrying about spying on our own citizens, we should be trying to make oil obsolete. Just a humble opinion.

I don't see Calvin Johnson getting out of the top 5. I predict Cleveland will trade out of their #3 spot and someone will come up to grab him. I love your pick for the Bills. This is my ideal result for the first round. I'm nervously hoping this guy is still there at 12.