Cash

What really scares me is that the rare times that Trent throws downfield, he tends to get picked off. Maybe his accuracy is just that bad and he knows it.

Forget the deep ball, where are the 10-20 yard passes to WRs? When was the last time one of those routes got thrown, much less completed?

4th and 23 and the throw is a checkdown to Fred Jackson. Awesome.

7 points total (ZERO on offense) and your #1 problem is pass D? Agree to disagree.

Any time you have a chance to throw a checkdown to a RB in the flat on 4th and 23, you do it. Fact. With all Trent's learned after all these horrible losses in the past 3 years, he must be brilliant by now.

Just going off the top of my head, but didn't McNally retire 2 years ago, not last year? I'd guess the improvements (assuming they last) would be because our blocking schemes have always called for mobile, athletic linemen, and prior to this year, we mostly had big fat guys. As for Kollar, every McCargo article I've read has painted Kollar as a major dick. If a coach doesn't click with his players personality-wise, it doesn't matter how good a teacher he is, the message just won't get through. And honestly, this quote from Mark Gaughan's article on Bob Sanders tells me all I need to know: '"Another thing is just changing your angle," Kelsay said. "You're rushing the quarterback, you're not rushing the offensive tackle. With me last year, I'd be rushing up here and the quarterback would be over there."' How many times over the past few years have we screamed about Kelsay steaming 8 yards upfield past the QB? Kollar apparently didn't think that was something that needed correcting, but Sanders does. Case closed.

In all seriousness, if Bell shows that he's good enough to be part of the long-term plans at LT, then he should get a raise at that time. To go back to the Tops analogy, Bell hasn't really been given the manager job yet, he's just being asked to help cover the manager's duties after the last one got fired. If he does a good job at that, he'll get promoted to manager, and that's when the raise will come.

But our opponents have also been playing vanilla offenses and defenses. So if our O looks this bad against vanilla defenses, why should it look any better when both teams start game planning? Does anyone have any real confidence that our coaching staff's game plans will be superior to those of our opponents?

In today's NFL, tight ends (especially pass-catching ones like Nelson) are lined up as slot WRs all the time. Most 4-wide and 5-wide spread formations include a tight end as one of the wideouts. Next time you watch a Colts game, see how many times Dallas Clark gets lined up next to a tackle. I'm guessing it'll be no more than 5 plays for the whole game. Clark is probably the most extreme example (he even lines up at split end sometimes), but most pass-catching threats at TE spend at least as much time in the slot as they do on the line. Considering Nelson never played on the line in college, it makes a lot of sense to start him out mostly out wide. Doesn't mean that he's a candidate to convert to WR, though.

Well, at least I managed to get to the draft when it was still cool. So much for my Day 2 Diehard status. Ugh. I hate everything about this. Why is it that every modern change is designed to discourage you from actually attending events, and encourage you to sit your fat butt down on your couch and watch them on TV? I have concerns about the long-term future of any entity that consistently marginalizes its most passionate and engaged supporters, and seeks to appease its most lazy and apathetic supporters. Even before I went in person, I LOVED the draft. If for no other reason than it gave you an awesome excuse to start drinking at noon on a random Saturday in April. I actually liked the move to 3pm because noon can sometimes be a little early to start drinking. But Thursday night? Terrible. And guess what, NFL, this means NO ONE will care about Friday night's rounds 2-3. As it is, only the diehards care about anything past round 1. The casual fans and major media only give rounds 2 attention because it's on the same day as round 1. That will soon pass. Here's the bottom line: There are already good options available on Thursday or Friday night, whether I want to stay home and watch TV or go out to a bar. But losing that awesome Saturday afternoon just kills me. What am I gonna do now, head to a bar at noon to check out the second half of round 5? That sounds like fun. At least day two has included round 3 the last couple of years, giving it some pretense of meaning. That's gone as well. And I don't want to hear any of this nonsense about great players coming from late rounds. That's all well and good, but the excitement from late-round gems comes not on draft day, but when they actually produce on the field. You can get excited about early and even mid-round picks on draft day, but how many Patriots fans were truly excited when they drafted Tom Brady? (Besides the ones who went to Michigan, anyway.) I've seen every pick of Day 2 in person the last two years, and after round 4, it's a complete snooze fest. Even round 4 isn't great or anything. The late rounds are mildly interesting and all that, but there's no energy or excitement like you get in the first couple rounds. Because even though you know that some of these guys will be diamonds in the rough, no one - not even the scouts or GMs - is able to predict with any kind of accuracy which ones will pan out. So you can't really celebrate a great pick, because it still has only a 10% chance of working. And since most late picks don't pan out, you can't really knock a team for anything. Does it really matter that we picked cornerbacks in rounds 6-7 who'll get cut, instead of picking a tackle and a linebacker who would both get cut? Meh. Anyway, I seem to have gotten a little off-topic there, but my point is, I'm against this move.

I'm all for picking up Gaines if he doesn't get much interest anywhere else. Good blocker with surprisingly good mobility for a guy his size. Never going to be a vertical threat, but he can do more than just fall forward. Even though Royal was the starter, Gaines basically matched his production in 2007: Player Rec Yds Yds/Rec Long TD Michael Gaines 25 215 8.6 20 2 Robert Royal 25 248 9.9 28 3 It's always beneficial to a team to have a good blocking TE on the roster, and none of our current guys really qualify. If Gaines made the team, it would have to be at the expense of either Schouman or the fullback. I don't think Schouman sucks, and I like having exactly 1 true fullback on the roster for short yardage, but I'd be fine with Gaines in place of either one. Probably not at $2.5mil a year, though.

Seems like Philly probably would've taken Pettigrew at 21 if Maclin was gone at 20. Or Detroit would've just moved up at least 4 spots to grab Pettigrew in front of us.

Excellent post. For a team that was 22nd against the run and 14th against the pass last year, the Bills sure seem to think the D-line is way ahead of the secondary. The only addition they've made to the defensive line was to draft a situational pass rusher. I would argue that until Schobel shows he can still play at his age and is healthy, we have 1 legitimate NFL starter on the defensive line. And since our scheme supposedly relies on frequently rotating in fresh bodies, we should really be shooting for the kind of depth the Giants have. After Day 1, my Giants-fan buddy & I went through their D-line, and I think they had 6 or 7 players who would start over either Williams or Kelsay. You can justify the picks in the secondary all you want, but defensive success usually starts with the line, and ours was really bad for the last 2 years. What have the Bills done this offseason to address the run D?

Horrible idea.

Your 3rd starting LB plays about 30-40% of snaps at best, whereas your starting LT plays 100% of them. I'm unconvinced Walker can play LT, so that's need #1. And I think I'd still put DT above LB, and then I'd throw DE in there to round it out. Schobel is as big a question mark as Maybin right now, Kelsay and Denney are both mediocre at best, and Ellis 1.) wasn't able to earn much PT on a horrible D-line last year, and 2.) looked really bad in the little bit of PT he got. Remember when the coaching staff kept talking about how our D-line was supposed to utilize wave after wave of linemen, so they could all go hard every down? They don't really talk about that any more, because they realize that our backups going 100% are still worse than Marcus Stroud going 70%. If the Bills can get Levi Jones, I'll be thrilled. Leroy Hill would be a nice addition as well, especially since he can play DE on passing downs.

I don't see how that particularly sweetens the deal. After CB and WR, safety was probably our 3rd strongest/deepest position heading in to the draft. Whitner hasn't lived up to his billing, but he's a good player at either safety spot, Ryan Scott is a decent starter, and Wendling and Wilson are decent backups. (I'm assuming Ko Simpson is long gone.) Meanwhile, our only real LT on the roster is a major project 7th-rounder from last year. And over at DT, even though we allegedly play a heavy rotational scheme, we had only 3 DTs dress for games last year, and we've added none to the roster. Having said all that, I should point out that I overall kinda liked the draft. I love the fact that they looked to truly shore up the interior of the O-line, and maybe make it a strength of the team instead of just slapping on a band-aid. And grabbing Nelson in the 4th was a major steal. A lot of people had him as #2 after Pettigrew, and I think he has more potential to become a 2-way TE than most of the other guys in this draft. Honestly, if the Bills had gone Levitre instead of Byrd, then traded up for (preferably) Will Beatty or a DT, I'd be excited.

Agreed, a great time was had by all. I'd say the Bills were much better represented this year than last, at least on Day 2. I don't recall seeing nearly as much Bills gear last year. And there was a pretty big yell when they announced the Bills were on the clock in either the 6th or 7th round. I'd say the #1 highlight of the two days was when the D-bag Bears/Miami Hurricanes fan who was starting yelling matches all day got thrown out midway through Round 7. Especially since that means he's now permanently lost his diehard status!

Just got my ticket! Row E, Seat 703. And it's apparently a "VIP" ticket, which, near as I can tell, only means that I'm allowed to use a different entrance from all of you scrubs. The letter that came with the ticket had some big news for anyone planning to attend Day Two: "This year will conclude any additional members to the Day 2 Diehard program, yet its legacy will remain with us as long as you do. Enclosed, along with your ticket to Day One, you will find a credit card size credential with your name and barcode. This is your entry to Day Two (Credential is for entry on Day 2 only). The procedures for the Diehards have not changed. You will need to have this credential scanned by Radio City Personnel on Sunday prior to the start of the Draft upon entry. At the conclusion of the Draft you will need to hand in your credential to NFL personnel as you exit (similar to years past with the contact information form). Only one credential per person will be accepted upon exiting. This card is not replaceable under any circumstance, so please do not lose it. If you leave prior to the conclusion of the Draft or decide not to attend in future years, your card becomes invalid and you will no longer be a Day 2 Diehard." (All emphasis theirs, not mine.) So those of us who got in last year are grandfathered in, but only for as long as we keep up the streak, and there's no future benefits to staying for all of Day 2. On the plus side, this should mean (in future years) that more tickets are available for Day 1, so you probably won't need to line up quite as early. I'm just glad that the first year I attended the draft was also the year where I could get grandfathered in. I'm never giving up my Diehard status!

Best line in that article: "...two of the top punt returners in the draft, but likely will be gone when the Cowboys pick in the second round and even in the third." (emphasis added by me) So wait, not only will these guys be gone by the Cowboys' second pick, but they'll STILL be gone when the Cowboys pick again? What a rip-off!

On the surface, I like the deal. I was rooting for them to sign Rhodes as soon as I heard he came in for a visit. Based on last year, Rhodes seems to have a lot more in the tank than any of the other guys the Bills had previously brought in, and with Marshawn out for 3 games, RB was a significant need. And I'd much rather have the Bills sign a veteran than bring in a rookie, for various reasons. Digging a little deeper, I am a little curious/maybe concerned about it being a 2-year deal. Does this mean Jackson isn't in the Bills' plans after this year? Maybe that's why they've been so intractable in negotiations (according to Jackson's agent, anyway). But I'm not super concerned. We all know that future years in NFL contracts are worth the paper they're printed on. As long as that 2nd year isn't guaranteed in any way, I don't think it's cause for alarm just yet.

Linebacker is arguably the second-least important position on offense or defense, after fullback. The Bills have a ton of holes to fill, and linebacker is probably third among them at best. Although linebackers make less than most other positions at the same draft slot, drafting Curry at #4 overall would probably make him one of the highest-paid linebackers in the league, if not THE highest-paid. So I guess you could say I'm not enthusiastic about the prospect of trading up for Curry. Now, going the take-out route and getting some curry for dinner, that's a different story.

I think we need to see how the draft goes before making that proclamation. I'm very concerned right now, but I'm not pessimistic enough (yet) to think that the Bills are truly okay with losing: Peters Dockery Preston Fowler Whittle And signing just Hangartner and McKinney. The current "plan" seems to be Walker at LT, Chambers at LG, Hangartner at C, Butler at RG, and Bell or maybe a rookie at RT. Which would leave McKinney + last year's practice squad as the only backups. If the Bills seriously expect us to buy that, they're crazy. But they CAN'T admit how much they need O-line right now, or anyone hoping Oher (or whoever) will slide to them will know for sure that they need to trade in front of us to grab him. If the Bills keep up a front about going in other directions in the draft, it increases the likelihood of success. Now, if the "plan" isn't gamesmanship, and the front office really thinks that last year's scrubs will improve on last year's starters, then it's time for the gloom and doom proclamations.

Every move a right one! And yet in spite of all these winning moves, the Bills haven't been able to crack 7-9. That's weird.

Roscoe for a 5th would be extremely depressing.

A sixth next year, no less. Discounted to present value, that makes it worth a 7th-rounder this year. I don't necessarily think the Bills got ripped off, but a very late first, a late fourth, and a (probably late) sixth next year is not a very impressive package.