BillsVet

In a given NFL draft, there are blue chippers and then the other guys. This year it seems like there are about 8 blue chippers and then there are the other less heralded guys. C. Johnson, Russell, Thomas, Gaines Adams, Peterson, Landry, and perhaps Levi Brown and Quinn, are the blue chip guys. Ginn probably falls right after them. The #12 pick is almost no-man's land. Perhaps a team is looking at Ginn to be a deep threat for a woeful passing game. And maybe they're concerned he's going to get away if they don't get to the 12th pick. It's hypothetic, but there are only about 8 guys who are the marquee talent. The others may offer some excellent players, but they're not as obvious. Besides, Ginn has probably the best speed in the draft. Everyone knows he's going to heal a little more and be able to run his 4.32 40s again.

Each team has their own needs. I'm guessing that someone might want a player at 12 the Bills don't want. Like the most overrated WR in the draft, Ted Ginn. If he's available, and someone calls Buffalo for their pick, I say trade down if Okoye and Willis are gone. Because I'd rather have another second than take a guy that isn't a fit for the team.

I don't think the Bills are in the market to give up picks. With a host of needs, specifically LB, RB, CB, DT, and to a lesser extent WR, and TE, the Bills cannot afford to give up picks. I realize they may have one player on their radar like last season, but flexibility is the key to this draft. If Willis isn't there, well, who's the next best option? If anything, I can see them moving down to add 2nds and 3rds. I'd be happy with Amobi Okoye and Patrick Willis. Both high-character, intelligent, and physically excellent players. If they're gone, the best thing in my mind is to trade down, unless they plan on drafting another DB. Accumulating picks isn't a bad strategy because it provides flexibility. Of course, if there's a guy there that they want and is available, then make the pick.

Never did I undervalue the ST game. We have enjoyed a productive ST group under April, though despite this marquee ST group, we've continued to miss the playoffs. ST is important, but defense and offense take priority. Also, I'm not equating sheer speed with being able to play ST. There's more to that obviously. But I think we're making it out to be more than what it is. Kick and punt coverage aren't things that take a Ph.D to master. Now, I realize Stamer was hurt late in the season and they may have necessitated Youboty as a ST late in the season. However, if you've got a good CB, then he's going to play. Youboty did not play, ST or not. This thread discussed Youboty's being ready to go. I personally think we need to see a lot more from him before we can make that assessment. Here's a guy who could not crack the lineup, and it's alarming to see what we've got for depth at CB. Thomas has never started in the NFL, Greer is a backup caliber CB, and McGee was burned often last season. (against MIN and DET no less) CB is a huge question mark...and Youboty isn't the answer, at least not right now.

So he didn't dress because of ST reasons? That's our logic? Many "experts" pegged Youboty as a first, if not second rounder last season. There was a family tragedy and I completely understand his absence in camp. But... how do you explain a guy with such high talent not getting on the field? I may be mistaken, but NFL teams can dress 45 players for a game. According to the Bills website, Youboty played on ST against Miami, Baltimore, and the NYJ. So I believe the coaches got him on the field in that regard. Why he was inactive for SD and TEN after dressing the first time against Houston is beyond me. I'm sure the coaches had their reasons, but all I'm trying to point out is this guy has nothing to show that he can be a reliable NFL CB. And since when should it be a challenge for a 3rd round pick to "break into" the ST lineup? We've got UDFA's and other late round picks that make it onto the ST unit. Stamer, Haggan, heck even Peters a few seasons ago. It should not be hard for someone like Youboty to play ST with his speed as a CB. The fact is, if Youboty had enough talent to play last season he would have. They kept him off the field until November because he couldn't play ST? Nice try.

I still think the trust Marv has in DJ will lead us to pick defense in the first round. After last season when we went defense with 6 of our 9 picks, I think DJ would rather have a strong defense and a weak offense than an average defense and offense. DJ didn't have high scoring teams in Chicago, and I don't think he's focused on doing the same here.

There's only one problem with trying to build a dominating team year in and year out. The salary cap seems to involve itself at the most inopportune moment. Few teams who continually draft well and are effective in free agency remain excellent for a lengthy period. At some point, coaching and savvy front offices have to make the difference. You look at what Philly, NE, and Indy have done. They've all jettisoned name players when their demands get high and/or their abilities drop. In their sted, they've acquired lesser names who fit the team concept and included some difference-makers at specific positions (DE, OT, QB, perhaps CB and RB) I'm not convinced the Bills front office can play hardball and retain the talented players that may be drafted. Marv has spoken about retaining our own picks and not placing too much emphasis in FA. That's not a knock on them for letting Clements go...he was bound to leave anyway. Buffalo featuring a cash to the cap fiscal policy, does not lend itself to retaining your draft picks who become stars during their first contract. You want to sign them before they hit star-level, but if not, in our market they're gone. One thing I will say about being 10-6 versus 12-4: both records will generally get you into the playoffs. And once you're there, it's a whole new season. Let's concentrate on getting to the playoffs ASAP and worry about being dominating the regular season later.

I guess it'd be safe to say we won't be drafting CB in 2007. My concern with Youboty is he's essentially a rookie. Sure, he practiced and played CB in one game, but he's new and untested. I know the Bills will only play the best player and they've got to earn it. But going into the season with K. Thomas, Jabari Greer, Youboty, McGee and Bassey as the only CB's on the roster makes my head hurt. That's not a position I feel very comfortable with. There were opportunities to acquire veteran talent that can play in this leauge and we chose to stay with what we've got. That said, Youboty needs to play well. We can't just hope he plays well. Our CB depth is so poor there aren't really any options.

Again, we're hoping and wishing this guy is worthy of the praise we've been heaping upon ourselves and the organization for selecting him and getting a supposed 3rd round bargain. I realize he lost time due to his mother's death in 06, but that occurred in the summer. He wasn't even dressing during the regular season, let alone playing. I believe his only game action at CB was against the Jets. That's just not enough to know if he'll be an effective NFL CB. I don't care if people have opinions, but back them up with something. We don't know if this guy is going to be a reliable NFL starter, same as whether or not Buffalo will be competitive this season. There's too much that can happen between now and opening day.

That's why Wolfe was so dangerous against TCU. Taking one college game out of context is not emblematic of a player's potential in the NFL. I just did that with one game and he ran for 28 yards on 20 carries. So which one game defines his abilities? Wolfe is an undersized RB that I'm thinking most teams would feature as a 3rd down back or perhaps a KR/ST type player. If he was so good, he'd be mentioned up there with the Peterson's, Lynch, Irons', Pittman's, et al. A small college undersized prospect. No more, no less.

Am I sensing a trend here? There's always going to be obnoxious jerks like Jeremy Green. But I've read and seen features from SI, ESPN, numerous websites and NFL.com that we've over-judged our talent and left positions too thin to simply replace in the draft. And not to mention we're the only team in the league that broadcasts how they will limit their financial resources to a level below what the NFL mandates. I'm not saying we need to pay huge bonuses, but adding some veteran talent for at a minimum depth seems advantageous. One voice or article means little. But many similar opinions get you thinking after awhile.

I suppose that's why Whitner had as many down the field tackles...we were deep off the LOS working so hard to prevent the pass and not getting a push with the DL. I realize the Cover-2, by its nature will yield rushing yards. But it's a bend, don't break defense against the run. You're hoping to force the team to throw into that zone. We simply didn't have the horses up front to clog the running lanes. I'm concerned that this season we'll be weak with both the run and pass defense. Whitner isn't going to make as big an impact on run defense, something I'm sure the front office knew before next season. Admit that Buffalo minimized their risk with the Whitner selection because they flinched at the far-flung notion he'd be selected before they could swing a deal. Face it, the front office was out-done. They fell for the ploy. But they didn't make things better by panicking again when word spread that NYG was looking at McCargo.

So we forget Sean Taylor when he's not able to fit into our argument? Because I know he made the difference for the Skins in 06. And how did Polamalu do in 06? Pittsburgh didn't make the postseason. All I'm doing with this comparison is illustrating the absurdity of your argument with your subjective rationale. It's a non-sequitur. There's no doubt safeties are valuable, but just not as much as you might think, and certainly are not typically top-10 selections. You can find excellent safeties if you do your homework. After all, we got Ko Simpson in the fourth. Tell me, what would you rather have: a pass rush or a pass defense? There's a significant difference. The former makes the latter look better while the a pass defense cannot survive without a pass rush. We didn't get picked on through the air last season, ergo Whitner and Simpson weren't challenged as much. The highest pass yards allowed happened when Favre managed to throw for 287, albeit with a couple of picks. I personally believe the safeties both looked better in 06 because the gameplan necessitated they play so far off the LOS as a risk management function.

Are you trying to compare the Bills draft to the Steelers draft from 1969 and 70? I mean, Pittsburgh ended up with Joe Green, LC Greenwood, Bradshaw, and Blount those two drafts. Four HOF's in 2 years! And then in 74 they picked up Ham, Lambert, Webster, Stallworth, and Swann! I really can't believe you're comparing the Bills circa 2006 with the Steelers in the 1970s. That was a completely different era. No salary cap, teams didn't scout as hard or scrutinize players and less teams in the league to draft. Like it or not, safeties aren't playing a position that can dominate a game. DE's, OT's, and QB's can. Just because Marv and his entourage made this pick doesn't make it right. They should be open to criticism. It sounds like some fans aren't thinking and just believing what they're told or bristling when the mainstream "experts" say something was wrong. We're reacting emotionally because Whitner was "our" pick and not looking at this without seeing the whole playing field. We spent a #8 on a safety, failed to trade down, then used a 2nd and 3rd for a broken DT. Well, at least only 2 of the last three seasons he's played. That's not strategically using our limited resources to address all the holes we had. You've got to employ the right amount of resources to your team, and Buffalo chose a safety as their top pick. They needed help at DT, OL, and WR. Yet we chose the back of our defense to fortify. How many times has it been said on this board that winning football games begins at the LOS. We chose a player who played 15-20 yards from it. You can stop the pass by getting a pass rush that puts the QB under pressure and/or on his back before he makes the throw.

Approving the selection of Whitner is becoming about as mandatory as believing in Global Warming. I didn't believe the first was right and I'll never believe the latter is. Can't Bills fans disagree with somethin Marv does? The criteria of just being a good player on an of-late below average NFL team isn't enough. A top-10 pick has to be a difference maker and while Whitner might become a fine player, a building team doesn't have the luxury of selecting a player at a position like safety. Some positions on an NFL football team take priority and safety isn't one of them. Not at least with a top-10 pick.

I'd go along with everything you've said. Marv took over when the team was at probably the lowest point it could get. Well, almost. It wasn't 1984, but we had a coach resign who had pretty much lost the team. The 2005 draft produced practically nothing (at least yet) and the GM who'd just been fired was about as arrogant as they come. Dissension was universal among the fans. And they'd just finished their fifth season without a playoff appearance In light of these facts, Marv and company have rehabilitated the image of the team from the depths we experienced at the beginning of 2006. As for records, one thing I'll say is that 7-9 remains more than I expected last season. I firmly believe in expecting the worst and hoping for the best. Last year 15 NFL teams were either 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7. How's that for parity? So, with that in mind, 7-9 is about average in this league. The key will be improving and not regressing in 2007. I'm not one to look down the road until 2008 and hope for domination. This team should have higher goals this year. The only issue I have is with the 2006 draft. Sure there's Whitner and Simpson guaranteed starters. McCargo and Youboty, the other 2 Day 1 selections have large question marks on their backs. They have a lot to prove and I'm not ready to call them starters and significant contributors. Kyle Williams has overachieved his way into the NFL, but his position as a solid rotational DT is also questionable. Ellison will likely start, Pennington, Butler, and perhaps Merz provide depth. Let's give that draft class another year. There are too many question marks remaining. In today's NFL, a team can go from zero to hero in 2 seasons. I hope what Marv's doing will allow us to be that.

If the main thing to being an NFL GM were to acquire high character players while assembling a player friendly coaching staff, Marv's the GM of the year. However, the criteria for winning football games goes beyond this. Teams need to be both prudent and take calculated risks in free agency. This year, Buffalo had 3 signings, 1 major, and a medium and small one. I think we upgraded the OL, but failed to make any other positions much better. Some might think it irrational to say we didn't spend enough, but the team had opportunities to acquire moderately priced free agents for depth and perhaps starting needs. The front office decided against it. I have to assume they feel they have the roster already close to where it needs to be or will be significantly upgraded on draft day. I'm not putting much into the 6/1 cuts. Another GM criteria is drafting well. All of us know the draft is the foundation of good football teams. Free Agency alone cannot do it. But this year, we're forced to have a stellar draft. If we cannot improve the LB, RB, and perhaps CB and DT slots, it's going to be a long year. Cash to the cap absolutely necessitates drafting well each year, particularly rounds 1-3. To miss on a pick is doubly worse because we're not going to allocate too much in free agency every year like we did this year. I believe Free Agency provides the players you need at the moment to make the team better. Naturally the price for these guys is super-high and is something of a penalty for failing to draft well. Still, FA and the draft combined can make for good teams. The draft alone cannot do it. Marv and the rest of the braintrust made decisions to let some name guys go. Pyrite is correct in saying we cannot judge those moves just yet. We'll have to wait and see. But, a lot of experience and talent did leave the team. Next year will tell us how much their depatures hurt. Marv is gambling that getting rid of WM and Takeo while letting NC and LFB go in FA won't be too much to overcome for 2007. My concern is with who replaces them, not with simply allowing those guys to go. The Bills are heaping a lot of hope onto the backs of Youboty, Ellison, McCargo and perhaps Preston. These are question marks in varying degrees. Even if 2 of them play well, I doubt all 4 of them will. In a perfect world the Bills would be a little more secure in positions like CB, LB, DT, and maybe RG entering draft day. Marv and to a greater degree guys like Overdorf, DJ, and Modrak make the decisions by consensus. There is a chance they could be wrong. There is a chance their plan could be right. It's simply too soon to tell. Finally, some will disagree with this, but I think our front office could be a little more savvy on draft day and use more guile when it matters elsewhere with personnel. Everyone in the league interested in Turner is waiting SD out, but as we near draft day, we'll see who has the most moxie. I just don't think they'll acquire Turner and pay him his money. It's not their nature to invest in areas like this when defense is a huge priority. As for Marv's GM abilities, if draft picks need 2-3 years to be completely judged, so too does a new GM. It's only fair.

That's about as fair as it gets Kelly. I thought the segment was particularly harsh, but when one of them becomes Nostradamus, I'll listen more. Woodson, well, outside of being a former player, doesn't have much in the way of credentials to me. I don't know why we're putting so much stock into what these three stooges have said. Time will tell.

This article in the SD Union and Tribune makes me laugh. Article The idea that Smith is dealing from a position of power is downright arrogant. If Tennessee or Buffalo panics first then sure Smith wins. But if that doesn't happen, Smith will have to trade Turner for the best offer he gets, whether it's on draft day or before. This ain't ebay we're talking about here. It's the NFL. I believe the writer is forgetting the draft provides plenty of options. It's not as though Turner is the only solution.

First, the season is five months away almost...at least that's what some people are saying on this board. I think Branch is simply too risky of a pick for a team like Buffalo. The Bills cannot afford to miss with a first round pick because if the do, it could have long term effects. Mike Williams lack of play and motivation is still a constant reminder, five years after his selection by our former arrogant GM. Everyone wants a Pro-Bowl type, but we need to have an excellent starter in round 1. Other teams have more margin for error that we do in the draft. As for Tennesee-they rid themselves of Henry simply because he would not re-negotiate a contact that called for an 8M roster bonus. He then left the team and moved on for greener (literally and figuratively) pastures in Denver. As has been mentioned here many times, A. Thomas has not been a starting RB since 2003 and there's a reason. He's probably lost a step and teams like Dallas, New Orleans, and Buffalo have proven that by keeping him as a #2 or lower on the depth chart. How he becomes a starter now I really don't know. I doubt he'd be a fit in SD, that's all. You're correct, Langston Walker is huge. But he's got some time to get into playing shape. I'm sure with mini-camp, training camp, and some prodding from Jim McNally that he'll be ready to go or else in September.

I don't think I'd take Branch at all...he's a risk and shows signs of not working hard. Willis has a much better work ethic and has great character traits. As far as SD taking A. Thomas in a trade, why would they do that if they could have acquired him as a UFA? The guy was available for a couple of weeks there. IMO, Thomas is not all that much better than an average NFL #2.

What's worse? A healthy and fit A-Train or a fat Lendale White? I suppose that's a push, though there's more game film of A-Train than of Lendale. Unless of course you go back to White's USC days, which don't count because it was more than a year ago.

You're kidding, right?

I would love for Buffalo to add Okoye...he's the type of player who could define playing the DT spot in the Cover-2 and is probably the best DT available in the draft. Having said that, I think Buffalo goes LB with Willis in Round 1, but I wouldn't be disappointed with Okoye. He'd immediately be better than Tripplett and Williams.

With the 12th pick, the Bills need an impact player, someone who can step in and contribute this season. And that player should be defense IMHO. When Ralph asks about stopping the run and we draft a RB in the first round, well I'll t be somewhat disappointed. Then again, it's not my opinion that matters. Okoye and Willis appear to fit the mold for an impact defensive player. I'm not sure if both or one will be available, but if they intend on giving up less than those 140.9 rypg they did last season, they'll go defense. The chance at Willis, who's regularly running a sub 4.4 40, has great character and super work ethic is too much. He's not a guaranteed player, no one is, but I'd grab someone who can make offenses think twice about running the ball too much. More often than not, what you get in the 2nd round and below is not going to help this season. RB is one of those positions that can feature a guy playing well their rookie season from the second. However, there aren't many on defense that are available in a given draft who can. DJ=Defense