BobChalmers

Sad but true I fear. We all love Poz. I even have his "authentic" jersey - throwback, of course. But when you try to picture him as a difference maker on the field, it doesn't seem to fit anywhere.

Thank you, Joe Ferguson! The red helmets are fugly. The current uniforms are fugly. The ugliness of the current uniforms has been compounded by the fast that the players somehow got their way a few years back and have been allowed to wear them mis-matched - dark shirt/dark pants, white over white, when in fact, there are stripes integrated in the home and away that only line up right when it's dark shirt/white pants or vice versa. From the press release, I am betting (as well as hoping) for white helmet w/charging buffalo, and something similar to what's been shown from the Nike designs - hopefully without that ridiculous font. As long as it's white helmet and royal blue jerseys, it will be an enormous upgrade.

And almost yearly, that division has been the NFC South. They skew the statistics a bit - but still, I'm not unwilling to dream here either!

Yes - that's why we drafted Troupe in the 2nd round last year. We need him to start this year.

Please don't mix the Haloti Ngata/Donte Whitner debacle into that tirade. Unlike the other stuff you rattled off - Ngata was EVERYONE's pick for the Bills to take that year - except for Dick "the DB-hoarder" Jauron, and Marv "why-am-I-the-GM?" Levy . Here in Baltimore I can tell you the local press covering the draft were absolutely shocked the Bills didn't take Ngata - they had been thinking maybe they'd settle for Whitnet themselves.

Calvin Johnson is a huge part of whatever success Detriot had this year. Suh makes the opposite point - he wasn't a "reach for need" at all - he was the consensus best player in the draft (certainly after Bradford, and the Lions already took their QB the previous year). Fairley fits that bill this year, although he's generally rated slightly lower that Suh. CJ was the no-brainer BP in the draft his year. And before the QB-addicts all jump in - are you forgetting they got better when they had Stafford playing, and weren't really all that great when he was hurt. The Bills DID beat Detroit, you know.

Maybe that means he is really convinced Merriman is going to to play (one heck of a risk), and they've settled on Moats (quite conceiveable). Other than that it would be completely bizarre or a smoke screen - over the course of the year the OLB play was attrocious. ILB comment might be a bit of hardball (or honest dissatisfaction, for that matter) with Poz. Even with Poz they needed another bigger guy in there, particularly when Davis was hurt.

Sure - but that's definitely not what we're talking about here. NT Troupe - 2nd round pick last year DE Carrington - 3rd round pick last year I hope you aren't calling those "late round picks". You only get one first round pick a year - no way an NFL team can succeed thinking 2's and 3's are late rounders. When you make a 2nd or 3rd round pick, you have to believe you're getting a starter, not depth - otherwise, you couldn't possibly field a team of 22+ starters that were any good - which come to think of it... You can't keep using high picks on the same position and not expect the rest of the team to be undertalented. That's why the Bills shouldn't be thinking DL again so soon. As for playing DL's in waves - mostly that's 4-3 teams - because their DL's are expected to do a lot more running. 3-4 DE's are not containing the whole edge of the defense - they're containing the OL - often lined up inside the OT's. You need really good OLB's on the edge for pass rushing and outside runs - the fact we were using a converted DE and some low-priced free agents at those two spots is THE reason our run defense was such a special embarrassment this year. As for what Nix is thinking, my point is - whether anyone here isn't convinced that Troupe and Carrington are the right guys and is already looking for someone else at their spots - Nix clearly thought they were future starters or he wouldn't have taken them that high, and I doubt he's ready to change his mind about that after just their rookie seasons.

The Bills DE's for next year and the near future: Kyle Williams (pro bowl penetrating DT - makes more sense in 3-4 as a DE) Dwan Edwards (top FA signing - previous Ravens starter) Alex Carrington (3rd round) Troupe (2nd round) will move KW over from NT. That's 4 starting DL for 3 starting spots. Buddy Nix is responsible for bringing 3 of them to the team just last year. The one pro bowler (KW) is the only one Nix didn't bring in last year. You tell me which of those guys you give up on after one season if you were Buddy Nix?? There's also Kelsay with his new contract (God help us) playing DE when they have 4 down, so that's not an issue either. So why are you interested in D-linemen? What could possibly make anyone think Nix is going to give up on not one but two of his 3 biggest defensive personnel moves last season?? Nix said last week the problem with their run defense is the LB's (and specifcially their lack of size). I believe he meant it. Von Miller if they think he's good enough. Otherwise AJ Green followed by two LB's (one OLB, one ILB) in rounds 2 and 3.

About as many as Suh has? By most accounts a better prospect (slightly) than Fairley. And one more if the ref's didn't rip him off on that TD catch. Yeah - we need LB's (no - we really don't need DL - that was last year's draft - give Troup and Carrington a chance). BUT you do not pass on a clear dominating talent. As for the WR's we have? Evans is clearly done. We used to blame Trent Edwards - but after most of 2010 with Fitz, there's no denying the problem with Lee Evans drop in production is Lee Evans. Roscoe had a nice breakout season - until his #170 frame failed him. He's clearly not a strong #1. I love Stevie Johnson - but he's a better set of hands away from being a top WR. He looks mighty nice as a #2. David Nelson is nice - but we aren't calling him our ace threat are we? Most plays you only get 2 WR's on the field - maybe 3. Having a bunch of good ones is not the same as having one who dominates. AJ Green will dominate. On the other hand - who do we draft on Defense @ #3? Dareus? So we sit our last year's second round pick on the bench? Bowers? So one of Carrington/Williams/Edwards sits? If there was a Patrick Willis out there, I'd be all for taking him. I don't see him though. There are good LB's with 2nd and 3rd round grades who would immediately upgrade us. 3rd pick in the draft needs to dominate. Correct - I think Evans is washed up. He's been mediocre or worse for over two years now, in fact. We've just been kidding ourselves remembering his better days.

That all sounds great - IF you had an infinite number of draft picks. As I said the math does not work. You just don't get enough picks that high to be using them on backups when you have to start 22+ players. Not when it means you aren't using those high picks on starters at numerous other positions of need. In fact - the approach you've descibed is not unlike what has gotten the Bills where they are today - albeit at other positions. Henry (a good 2nd) replaced by McGahee replaced by Lynch replaced by Spiller... That's not depth - it's blown personnel moves. I like Spiller just fine - the problem is that Lynch was good, McGahee was good, and Henry was good. None of them had a good enough OL - because we kept spending the top picks on the next guy to run behind the bad OL taking the handoff from the iffy QB. You only get 10 1st round picks a decade - and every team is going to have some busts there. 2nd round picks have GOT to be good enough to start. It really blows my mind that there is a debate about this. People just get too fixated on the first round, I guess, that they forget the 2nd's and 3rd's need to work out too if you want a good team.? And btw, the Giants played a 4-3 last I checked. We're playing a 3-4 with the league's worst LB corps. We need LB's way way way more than DL.

Sorry - the math of that does NOT add up. A team gets 21 players (on average) in the first 3 rounds over 7 years - a long duration for an NFL career. It's great if you can fill starting spots with deeper picks - but if your picks 1-3 aren't filling those slots, you made the wrong picks - period. You can't be using 2nd-round picks on career backup players - there aren't enough picks to go around for that. You cannot be replacing your second round picks with new picks at the same position the very next year and not call the 2nd rounder a disappointment. Put another way - they spent a good pick on Troupe to fill a need. He either fills it at some point long before his rookie contract is over, or they whiffed on the pick.

Let me rephrase that - if the staff is already drafting someone else to be the starter the next year, those were bad picks - agreed?

Not unreasonable - Green is really special - but it would create a real log-jam at WR. Unless they trade Evans - when do Parrish and David Nelson play? Kind of sounds like the RB situation last year, come to thinnk of it...

Right - so out of 32 players per round - you're finding 6 in the first round (how many in the later rounds?) - that played in positions the Bills didn't draft. The Bills took two DL's in rounds 2 and 3. DL, as it turns out, was not as much the area of need as LB, where they drafted noone (healthy) ahead of Moats. (Don't forget Batten). The LB's are the clear weak-point of the team and Moats did eventually start, after the new regime did the wise thing and take one more crack at making use of the previous major bust - Maybin. After seeing Williams play this year - are we surprised that Troup couldn't start over him as a rookie? If Troup and Carrington still aren't starting next year, then we can be disappointed, but it's not that normal for the vast majority of rookie DL's to be ready their first year. Heck - remember Mario Williams? Eventually it became clear he was a better pick than Reggie Bush - I called that one right at the time - but all the geniuses were screaming about how dumb the Texans were.

Yeah, except we don't know if it was Modrak or Jauron previously - we were told Maybin was Jauron's call, for example - and for the new team, it really is too early to tell, so what's the point?

What "word" are you talking about??? I heard Nix slam the LB's for being too small earlier this week. No duh they're drafting LB's. It's all dipsticks here on TWO-Bills-Drive who think they are drafting DL. Your draft looks awesome to me - and spot on with the needs... except for Ponder. I'm a Florida State alum and fan, and Ponder's a good kid and all, but his arm is a wreck, and he was a mess in practice this week. He also didn't look all that great this year. I think a 3rd round pick is too much for him.

Because they had the worst starting four LB's in the league. That Scouts.com post was FoS to begin with. Frankly, I think it was a hoax. I watched one of the practices from earlier in the week on NFL Network and there is no correspondence between that so-called report and what I saw. The NFL Network guys - especially Mayock - were consistently praising Gailey's staff - with specifics - not vagueries. The practices I saw over 90 minutes had zero special teams action and lots of great drills and physical play across the board. Still nice to see Gailey put the nail in whatever that BS was with a big win... Oh - and in case you hadn't heard from those idiots who were mocking before - the consensus was also that the NORTH sqaud was much more highly rated going in. So Chan and his people actually got much more with less. Oooops!

Sorry - I just don't get the logic of using last year's #2 and #3 draft picks as back-ups. If they aren't starting next year those were bad picks. I believe Buddy Nix agrees with me, btw, which is why he was just talking this week about the need to get bigger at LB as his response to how to improve the run defense. Your starting line next year needs to be Williams - Troupe - Carrington/Edwards with the other filling in. If it isn't, they screwed up badly on last year's draft. Where's the next Patrick Willis in this draft? Can Dareus can project to OLB or am I thinking of someone else?

Dear God yes - what is wrong with people on this board??? NIX IS NOT GOING TO DRAFT SOMEONE TO REPLACE HIS #2 and #3 PICKS FROM LAST YEAR!!! Your 2011 Buffalo Bills DL is Williams/Troup/Carrington/Edwards in some mix. The defensive upgrades are coming at LB. Hope they do a good job of finding the right guys.

And the OP didn't have Kyle Williams at NT, did he? He has Troup at NT, which is where the Bills project him too after drafting him in the 2nd round last year. Time to put the DL draft nonsense to rest. Nix doesn't agree with you. Remarkably, he does not think his #2 and #3 picks last year are busts after one year. Nix thinks his LB's are too small which is why the OP is spot on.

There were two very significant insights to be gained from this article - one related to the next: 1. They're sticking with the 3-4. 2. When asked about the run defense - he talked about the LB's being too small. Not the DL - the LB's. This pretty much confirms my assessment I've been trying to tell people here for months - THEY AREN'T LOOKING FOR A DL!!! There are 3 starting DL slots in a 3-4. Kyle Williams is the best player on the D and will have one of them, hopefully everyone here can agree to that? Their #2 and #3 picks last year were a NT and a DE respectively. Neither of them can play a different position - Carrington is way too big to play LB. Troup is no DE. You might be ready to give up on them after one year, but I promise you the staff that chose them is not. Their top FA pickup last year was a former starting DE for the Ravens' 3-4 - Dwan Edwards. That's FOUR guys that Buddy Nix thinks are starting-caliber talent. There are only 3 slots. Bottom line: No matter what you think, Buddy Nix doesn't think they need to improve at DL. He's looking for a monster LB. He's hoping Merriman can come back, and he wants to find the next Patrick Willis in the draft. They also want a big beast pass-rushing OLB who can also contain the edge on the run and not embarrass themselves in coverage. One thing that is definitely a question-mark - will they keep Poz???

Uhm - yes. In the 3-4 defense, you're supposed to get your sacks from the OLB's. They are the most important players in the system, and we had arguably the worst players in the NFL filling those two spots among teams playing the 3-4. No surprise at all our edfense was horrible. Because you've decided after his rookie season that last year's second rounder (Troup) is a bust? I'm betting Gailey and Nix don't agree.

We need a DT because? Are you moving Kyle Williams to DE and calling our 2nd rounder last year (Troup) a bust already? Or are you assuming 4-3? But even then, doesn't Kelsay play DE, and Troup and Williams start in the middle? (With Edwards playing DT?) Oh yes - because all the drafted TE's we're watching kick butt in the playoffs right now were such big mistakes for their teams... How about we draft one higher than round 4 for once? Btw - if you look at the NFL draft histories - those of you who argue the value of QB's have seen these lists - there is only one poistion that produces << 50% busts on 1st round picks - TE. Of course, there isn't always a TE viewed as worth taking in the first round - but when one goes, he's almost always been very successful.

As several have mentioned, it depends if we are going to be 3-4 or 4-3... Lots of calls here for multiple DL's - all I can assume is that these people are already writing Carrington and Troup off as 2nd and 3rd round busts after one season. If you think that, don't worry about the draft - obviously Nix has no chance of doing anything right, having gotten no starting value from picks 1-3 last year. Of course, if you think that, you probably also still think Mario Willams is a bust since the #1 pick (over Reggie Bush) struggled his first year. This just in - DL's do not typically succeed as rookies. Give Troup and Carrington a chance. The way I see it now, we have 4 DL who we have to hope are good players: Williams, Troup, Carrington, Edwards. None of these guys are LB's. Based on that, I don't see how we make good use of a drafted DL if we are going 3-4. On the other hand, Kelsay is a disaster at OLB, and Moats is just ok. Poz is so-so in the middle, and we either have a so-so Andra Davis next to Poz or when Davis was hurt a collection of cast-offs. In other words, the NFL's worst LB corps needs an upgrade. Based on that: 1 - ILB - what this team needs more than anything is the next Patrick Willis, unfortunately, I don't think there's a guy there worthy of the #3 pick so we probably should wait until round 2 or 3. 2 - OLB/DE (who we get here - assuming it's the 1st-round pick, may drive whether we should go 3-4 or 4-3) 3 - TE - if you've been watching the playoffs, you've seen one TE after another be vital weapons to the successful teams. To beat the top defenses, you need a TE who's a 2-way threat to keep the pass-rush honest. We haven't had a receiving threat TE in ages. 4 - ORT 5 - WR - Evans seems to be fading steadily. Johnson and David Nelson are good not great. 6 - QB - the trick is being lucky enough to draft the right one. Fitz can be good but probably not great. 7 - another LB 8 - CB - signing Florence could soften this. McKelvin needs to get smarter to make the problem go away. 9 - S - assuming Whitner is gone. Wilson is OK. Byrd will probably bounce back.