BobChalmers

BINGO Don't think of the NFL as 32 different companies. That's how people confuse themselves thinking there should be a free market between teams. The NFL is one big company with 32 franchises.

Troy Aikmen, Michael Irvin, Emmit Smith etc. were old and broken down when Gailey got them. Dallas Cowboys W/L: Before Gailey is HC: 1997: 6-10 While Gailey is HC: 1998: 10-6 1999: 8-8 After Gailey is fired as HC: 2000: 5-11 2001: 5-11 2002: 5-11 This is why Jones says he made a mistake firing Gailey. Trust him on this, he knows what he's talking about. You keep dodging those facts, I'll keep moving them back where you can see them - no worries.

True - but owning a couple of both, I can tell you the "authentic" jerseys are also seriously uncomfortable. They are just too thick. I really prefer my replicas to my authentics. They are both made in China.

And it's just as simple as that. Reading more into it is a sign alright - a sign that it's a boring offseason.

FIXED.

+1

I think this is an unrealistic view of how quickly things turn around in the NFL all the time. Who had Tampa Bay going 10-6 last year (after going 3-13 in 2009)? Kansas City at 10-6 after going 4-12 in 2009? Lots of teams stink and stay that way, of course, but the truth is that there is real parity of talent levels in the league, so it doesn't take much of a push to radically change a team's fortunes. As for the Bills went 4-12, blah, blah - sure - after opening 2 games with Edwards, using a new defensive scheme they didn't have the players for, they still went 4-4 in the last 8, and three of their losses were in OT to playoff teams. A close loss is still a loss - but an OT loss means you were tied after a full 60-minute game. The Bills were tied with three playoff teams - Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh after a full 60-minute game - with two of them on the road, no less. They have some ability. If the defensive add's (including Wannstadt and the returning youngsters from last year) have a real impact - there's no reason at all to think 8-8 is a bad guess. I'd also add that I think they were worse than they could have been last year, simply because the new coaching staff was sticking with some questionable veterans in order to evaluate them in the new schemes, and not necessarily playing the best choices until later.

Well, surely this is a surprise to no one. Probably a good move though - I was glad of what I read when they hired him in the first place.

I like the OP's front-3, but don't disagree with those who suggest Williams isn't a good choice at DE - BUT if Williams can't play DE, I don't see how we don't need to go back to 4-3... Troup is no DE.

Depending on your defintion of elite - as I've pointed out there are 1, 2, or 3. NFL starters you can add Jason Campbell - a recent first-rounder who's had OK success but certainly not great. If "elite" to you has to be Peyton Manning or better - IE sure fire Hall of Famers - there aren't but a couple of those in the entire NFL, so how many did you really expect? And the a lot of other ones who might be on that list played at other relatively warmer weather sites - Rivers (NCSt), Rodgers (Cal), Schaub (UVa), Vick (VaTech), Since you said current elites, I didn't include another Hall of Famer QB from the SEC who is probably done (finally) - Favre.

So, the way the headings work on the main page - all I saw was How satisfied are you? With the draft overall? Which had me here prepared to answer a VERY different question... Yeah - I'm satisfied... with the draft also. As with many here - I was disappointed to see more DB's and less LB's, but I like Sheppard - if he works out well this was a great draft. And as other threads have discussed - DB was a need. I had argued before the draft that people should not freak out if they got Peterson at #3. I'm happier with Dareus, of course. Would have liked a TE prospect. B+ Will be an A+ if Sheppard is a team captain when it's really time to evaluate the draft which is three years later.

Now, I say, I say, I realize I'm waaay down South here in Mary-land y'all, but do you'ins in Buffalo really think of Penn State (Maybin) and Indiana (Hardy) as SOUTHERN schools???

Uhm... Manning and Manning... + Cutler? Did you need better than that?

A natural misunderstanding - zoom in, and you'll be able to make out the craters and the American flags stuck in various spots around the "ball"...

There's a video interview online of Jasper's coach where the coach explains that they Jasper had been a NT but they moved him to OG two years ago because their opponents mostly play spread offense, so they didn't need a NT on the field much, and he wanted to get Jasper more playing time. Sorry - I don't have the link handy - just Google Jasper's name a bit, with "Bethel" in there - you'll find it. My question: did the Japanese Tsunami-generating earthquake occur shortly after Jasper did that 33" vertical??

The big dfference this year from a Jauron draft - the SIZE of the players taken. Almost every player they took was above-average size for their position. Dareus 6'3" 320# Williams - a 6'0 205# CB Sheppard 6'2" 250# ILB Searcy 5'11" 223# DB Hairston 6'6" 326# OT J White 5'10" 209# RB C White 6'3" 240# 7th round Justin Rodgers is the only "small" player at 180# - and even he is a tall (for a CB) 5'11" And then there is the immmense Jasper, of course, who I believe has his own zip code. Apparently he has dropped 75# on the instruction of Bills coaches, but that still leaves him at 375#!! In one of his YouTube work-outs, I swear I saw a small moon orbiting him.

I think it would be tragic for this team to hold back Moats' (or Batten's) development as OLB so that Kelsay can continue to do it poorly. Kelsay's inability to contain outside runs was probably the single most glaring weakness on the entire team. He was only a fair-to-good DE even in our previous Tampa-2. As an OLB he was awful - unless he improves a lot this offseason, keeping him to play OLB is just nuts.

OLB's Batten (who they just announced is moving back to OLB) Merriman, Moats, Torbor, Kelsay if he isn't cut. Kelsay really has no place in a 3-man line now that we added Dareus. Who are they supposed to bench for Kelsay: Bills D-line "starters" Kyle Williams (top veteran player on the whole defense) Marcell Dareus (duh) Torrell Troup (last year's second rounder) Dwan Edwards (last year's top FA signing) Alex Carrington (last year's third rounder) I can't imagine them giving up on any of these guys. Five guys for 3 spots, not counting Spencer Johnson, who is the only DL I could imagine them cutting before Kelsay. That makes DE Kelsay the sixth DL. What am I missing here? IF they go 4-3, he could stick. Otherwise OLB Kelsay had better get a lot better in run contain as an OLB this Summer.

Or Luck may fall. Assuming he's going to have another great year is misguided. Brohm was "the man" after his junior year. It was really foolish of Luck not to come out this year when he was the certain #1 pick. Carolina even has a decent O-line he could have been behind. AS for the OP question: We didn't add an OLB, which was the weakest position on the team. If Merriman/Moats/Kelsay/Maybin... add up to two decent OLB we'll be fine. That's big IF though. Batten is an ILB, right? If we switch back to a 4-3 we're looking better. Poz could move outside in that scheme, and Kelsay would stay at DE.

I think he may turn out to be a minor "steal" only in that Carolina may well regret not taking him at #1, and Miller may have trouble workig in Denver's 4-3, so getting the guy we should have taken even if we were at #1, and probably should have been gone, may turn out to be a "steal". A more accurate assessment might be to call it - the Bills very good fortune that he got past two teams who could have used him.

I'm not worried about Mallet's behavior - I'm worried about his gangly body and 5.3+ 40-time. He's not going to last 4 games in the NFL.

TE more than ORT and maybe even more that OLB if Merriman and Moats work out.

Flacco plays for a defense-led team with a power-run-first offensive mentality. Even with that AND three great veteran revceivers he's been no more than good. Hardly proof of anything. People around here aren't fully convinced in him - but they won a super bowl here in Baltimore with Trent Dilfer, remember? It's true that the top teams usually have top QB's who are usually taken in the first. BUT it's also true that there have been some years where there wasn't a top QB at all. If Buddy and Chan aren't convinced Gabbert or Newton are great QB's - they shouldn't use the #3 on them. If the Bills get LB help (MIller) in the first, I'd be fine taking a 2nd-round shot at Ponder, etc., but ALL FOUR of our LB's were an embarrassment last year - it was the LB's, not the DL that was failing against the run, btw - we've got to get better ones.

That would be a silly thing to cry over - Green is a beast. Guys - there are four top picks: Miller, Dareus, Green, Peterson. No one on this Earth knows for certain which is the best or worst among them, and ANY player can bust, but by nearly all accounts, it's those four guys and then the next level. Any one of the four would improve the Bills. Depending on how much we believe in the OLB combo of Merriman, Kelsay, and Moats, I might argue Miller is also the closest to a "need" pick, which is why the vast majority of mocks say we take him if he's there. But unless you're convinced McKelvin is going to develop more, we are actually not in very good shape at CB - and Peterson has zero identified flaws, so I'm fine with them taking him, and then getting someone like a Martez Wilson(?) as an ILB in the 2nd. ILB is probably the biggest weakness if they are sticking to a 3-4 - followed closely by OLB unless we believe in Merriman. TE too - but there's no first-round TE prospect. We may like our young depth at WR - but Evans looks like he's close to done as an impact player, and we've only had one year of inconsistency out of Stevie - I'm a SJ fan and was in 2009 - but he's not all there yet.

This.