Cash

For an already-contending team with a late 1st rounder (Pats, 49ers), Wallace makes a ton of sense. For a team that's more than 1 player away with the #10 overall pick, Wallace makes no sense. I'd rather have the Bills use that cap money on 2 good players (whether re-signed or signed as FAs) and still have the #10 pick to acquire a third good player. I'm pretty underwhelmed by the options likely to be available at #10, but they should still be able to get a starter out of it. Plus, Wallace is just a younger, faster Lee Evans. I thought our offense had no use for a player like that? [/sarcasm]

Freeney's arms are 33", which is pretty much middle of the road, and fairly long for his short (6'1") stature. Ingram's arms are 31.5", which is pretty significantly shorter. Not saying he can't succeed (I'm sure there's examples of successful DEs with short arms), just saying that the pre-draft knocks on Freeney weren't about arm length, more about height and weight (at 268 lbs - shows how much the league has changed since then). I certainly like what you're saying about Ingram's athleticism. If he's really that beastly, he'll probably figure out a way to succeed in the NFL. I guess the main worry would be his ability to be an every-down DE and succeed against the run.

I like this re-signing. Morrison is not old and is a legitimate NFL player. I'm very comfortable with him starting at Sam and backing up the Mike. Allegedly a pretty cheap deal, too ($3m total for 2 years, up to $4m with incentives). Remember, the Bills, like every other team in the NFL, spend most of the game in nickel or dime defense. Base D linebackers who don't also double as nickel linebackers only play like 15-20 snaps a game. Between the coordinator/scheme upgrade, (hopefully) getting Kyle Williams back at full strength, and natural development of young guys like Dareus & Sheppard, our D should be much better next year even without adding better pass-rushing talent. Which is good, because I don't see any rookie making much of an impact (hope I'm wrong if we draft one at #10), and I don't see us getting Mario Williams. With Cliff Avril franchised, I'm not big on any of the other FA pass-rusher options.

Good news! Nix is walking the walk this offseason re: bringing back our own. Good to see promising players re-up. Two year deal makes a lot of sense given Chandler's out-of-nowhere season. I'll be curious to see the financials once they leak, but I'm with the rest who don't think it'll be very much. Probably fully guaranteed for 2012, similar to Stevie's deal. In general, the Bills' strategy seems to be to avoid giant bonuses/contract values, but offset that by guaranteeing a bit more. I like that approach.

I like where your head's at. Mercilus is very intriguing, especially since he and Coples are probably the only high-rated DE prospects with prototypical measurables http://footballsfuture.com/2012/combine/de.html Mercilus measured in at 6'3 5/8", 261 lbs., with 33 7/8" arms. Hands maybe a little small at 9.5". Everyone else mentioned at the top of the draft, except Coples, is either too short, has too short arms (even Coples' are shorter than you'd like), or doesn't have the college resume to justify a 1st-round pick. And Mercilus tested athletically a lot better than Coples. For comparison's sake, here's JPP's combine measurements (also taken from footballsfuture): 6'4 3/4", 270 lbs., 34 3/4" arms, 10 3/8" hands. Beastly. But also a one-year wonder in a weak conference. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there'll be a low-risk, high-upside prospect available at #10 this year. There should be some low-risk, low-upside guys and some high-risk, high-upside guys. Will the Bills swing for the fences or bunt the runner over?

As section122 said, we're all pretty happy about this signing, so But there's a couple of points I want to make to reinforce why this signing is so great. First, even with Stevie in the fold, we still have a need at WR. We have quantity but not quality (except for Stevie, who is definitely quality). So if we had let Stevie walk and replaced him with a free agent WR, that guy had better have cost us less than $7.5mil/year. Second, look at the history of veteran WRs changing teams, whether by trade or free agency. There are a few exceptions (Jerry Rice, Randy Moss to NE, James Lofton), but they usually bust(Peerless Price, Randy Moss to OAK, Randy Moss back to MIN, Randy Moss to TEN). So it's hard to figure on signing a free agent to replace Stevie as a lateral move or better. Third, by resigning our own guy prior to free agency, not only do we avoid the risk (compared to replacing him with a free agent), but we also avoided the "Winner's Curse" of bidding for him (or another free agent) on the open market. If you're not familiar with the Winner's Curse, it basically says that when something's up for open bidding, the winner is whoever overvalues the asset the most. Anyone who values the asset correctly will be outbid by someone who overpays. Stevie almost certainly would've gotten more money on the open market, because there would've been several bidders for his services. Instead, the Bills were able to reach a deal that both they and Stevie considered fair. That's a lot better for the Bills. Last, a point about Colston specifically, since he's probably the only marquee free agent that will sign for equal or less than what we paid for Stevie. Colston is a good player. BUT... he's a little injury-prone, very inconsistent, and despite playing in one of the most prolific passing offenses in league history, with a vastly superior QB in Drew Brees, his receiving numbers over the last few years have been almost identical to Stevie's. If Stevie isn't a #1 WR, then Colston isn't even a #2. (For the record, I find the "who is and isn't a #1 WR" debate exhausting, and don't care. Stevie is a good player, and a good starter. So is Colston, but Stevie is better and younger than Colston.)

It's not that I really disagree with what the OP is saying, but it really strikes me as a combination of hyperbole and a strawman. When exactly was the "Age of the shutdown corner"? And how many shutdown corners were actually in the league at that time? 3? Right now, there are two: Revis and Asomugha (although Nnamdi maybe shouldn't count since he's not used as a shutdown corner in Philly's defense). What was this magical time when a team could just put "shutdown corner" on its shopping list and expect to find one? They are very rare, have always been very rare (usually 0-2 active in any particular season), and are extremely valuable. But no matter how valuable Revis is, there's only 1 of him, and the vast majority of fans recognize that. Who are all these people that the OP claims are calling for a stud cornerback? They aren't posting a lot on this board, that's for sure. To sum up: I agree with the OP's main idea that top resources are better spent on pass rushers rather than cornerbacks, but I don't care for the way the author chose to present his argument. No offense intended.

That's why I never make that threat, because I know I'll never go through with it. No matter how disappointing and depressing the team itself gets, it's still something that connects me to Western New York no matter where I live. I won't give up that kinship with my fellow WNYers no matter what. But I *will* B word and moan when things aren't going well. For those fans who are also season-ticket holders, their threats to give up their tickets are much more tangible and realistic. That's a lot of money to commit to a sub-par product when you can watch at least half the games on TV for free. As long as you're using your time machine to add the Hines Ward from 2007, I'm on board.

I'd be really pissed if Stevie leaves. There's been ample opportunity to get a deal done over the last year, so I don't want to hear anything about "oh we tried to bring him back". If they have to overpay, so be it. They stink, and he's the only real quality NFL WR they have (although I do like Nelson & think he'll be a quality WR down the road). Poz and Whitner walk last year. Okay, fine. Whitner was in kind of a toxic situation and it was better for everyone if he left, plus the Bills had a good replacement already on the roster. Poz couldn't really be signed to an extension due to the quirks of the expiring CBA, and once he hit free agency, the Jags gave him that monster contract. Can't fault the Bills a lot there. But there's no excuse with Stevie. None. If someone offers him a ridiculous contract (like Larry Fitzgerald money), the Bills won't be able to match, but that still won't excuse them in the slightest. They've already had plenty of chances to lock him down. I will have no sympathy if they let him go.

Correct!

Yeah, we need to replace Stevie with a guy who never gets open at all against Revis. Then he'll never drop a pass!

Apparently if you were at the stadium (or watching the coach's cam), it was very clear he was throwing it away. No WR within 30 yards, no one had ever been heading that way, etc. Good call by both the letter and spirit of the rule. And good job by Brady not being a total whiner for once.

Nope...At least not IMHO...That's who I want too...Like I said earlier in this thread I'm assuming he comes to the Combine and his Workouts in great shape and all...I think he's a major talent...Top 5 talent if he runs in the 4.5's... Fully agree. Jeffery is a potential beast in the NFL. The main complaint (for me) is that he looks slow on the field, even in his highlights. (Strangely, I've seen some amateur draft sites talk about his speed as a plus, but I chalk that up to the idea that people who watch a ton of college football sometimes get used to the speed of the game, and overlook the difference between college and the NFL. Jeffery is *slow* for the NFL.) I think Jeffery's lack of speed ties directly into his poor conditioning. Someone posted a shirtless picture of Jeffery in another thread, and let's just say it's a bad sign if a WR's physique reminds me of my own flabby self. If Jeffery can get in shape and stay in shape, I think he's absolutely worth the #10 pick, and a potential blue-chip player. Dude catches *everything* thrown within 5 feet of him, and seems to do a great job on jump balls. Really looks like he was born to play WR. Hopefully the poor physique is the result of terrible nutrition rather than a lack of discipline or a poor work ethic. Which could be - a lot of these college kids have no idea how to eat right, and campus food options tend to be very heavy on the deep-fried end. Kevin Love's a good example of a guy who lost a ton of weight after leaving UCLA, mostly because he had someone teach him some basic nutrition and started eating right. +1. At #10 overall, you kind of need to get a premium player. Someone who can make a real impact on the team. Doesn't necessarily need to be right away (especially in the hypothetical case of a QB), but does need to be pretty significant. In recent years, we've had a #9 and #11 pick that were overtly drafted as part-time players. No more of that, please. Take the best player at a position that can really help us. By my count, that's QB, WR, TE, LT, DE, CB - and SLB, but only if the linebacker in question is a legit pass-rusher as a DE on passing downs. Think Matthias Kiwanuka or Von Miller or Bryan Orakpo when the Redskins played a 4-3. A LB who comes off the field on passing downs is a part-time player, and I want no part of that.

I agree with Andre - great move. Can't argue with his results or experience in Indy, and it's great to have a Bills icon back in the fold.

Dammit. I guess this means there's only a 29% chance that Stevie actually re-signs now. Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed. 29% is better than nothing.

Based on the rest of his list, I don't know if WSS has ever really gotten as far up as Perry's face.

Nah, I'm pretty sure the Bills' looks like this: First Round Grades 1. Quinton Coples 2. ??? Second Round Grades ...

I think Turbosrrgood got Zach Brown mixed up with Zach Brown, which is pretty understandable. I assumed Turbosrrgood got his numbers right and wrote my above reaction based on that, but I've edited my previous post to delete that part. With Dareus and Williams up front, I don't care if our linebackers are a little on the small side, but I still say that you can't draft a part-time player at #10 overall. And with Barnett starting at WLB and nickel LB, the starting SLB will almost definitely be just a part-time player. Truth be told, I think nickel CB is more important than starting SLB.

Ugh. Astro, I love you dearly, and thank you deeply for your work over at draftek, but I strongly disagree. Barnett is already the every-down LB and will continue to be. Last year, the other nickel LB was Bryan Scott, and you don't have any other LB playing in the dime. So whoever we put at the other OLB spot is only going to play like a third of the downs on D. Maybe OLB43 really is our weakest position, but it's so much less important than DE43, it can't come close to justifying a top 10 pick. I see OLB #2 as the least important position in any 4-3 defense. I do agree that the Bills need more quality OLB43's -- probably at least 2, 1 of whom can play on passing downs -- but taking one at #10 overall is just a waste of a draft pick. Give me a good DE or WR or OT or even CB all day. (Having said that, none of the DEs in this draft really excite me, and I'd rather reach for a good player at an unimportant position than draft a future bust at an important position.) [Edited to remove paragraph about how a player is too small based on incorrect info about his size.]

Most likely reasons: 1.) Couldn't afford one - whether because his salary wasn't in the budget, or because Gailey's a low-paid head coach and you can't higher a DC at about the same salary. 2.) Did go after one (or more), but were turned down, because he/they didn't like the situation, didn't want to work for Gailey, didn't want to move, or whatever. 3.) No proven 3-4 guys were available at the time.

I think Upshaw is fairly unlikely. Now that the Bills are confirmed as a 4-3 front going forward, that's a little bias against him, since he projects more as a 3-4 LB than a 4-3 DE. Yes, he's plenty big to play DE in terms of body mass, but we know that Buddy Nix prefers guys around 6'4" with long arms to set the edge in the run game. Upshaw measured in at 6'1.5" with 31" arms. Strike two. There's no strike three yet, but I'd be surprised if Upshaw was the pick. I don't know much about any of these guys yet, but none of them really wow me. I feel like if any of them were all that impressive, he'd be projected Top 5. Maybe it's unfair, but I'm getting a Derrick Harvey vibe from both Coples and Ingram. Looks the part, fills a need, theoretically should be good, but just meh once he gets into the NFL. But I'm no expert.

I'm pretty sure the condition was that Lynch had to run for a TD in over 10 straight games to upgrade the pick to a 5th. Now, Lynch did *score* a TD in 11 straight games, but one of them was a receiving TD only, so we lose out on a technicality. Tough one. Yielded pretty well against the Bills!

When packs of heterophobic gays start beating up straights while shouting "breeder" at them, then you'll have a good argument. What straight person would possibly have their feelings hurt by having breeder shouted at them? What traumatic memories would it bring up? Would the straight person suddenly feel like an outcast? Probably not, since the audience at this public event is probably >90% straight.

Debatable. #1 is definitely Ted Washington. #2 is definitely Bryce Paup (he won AP Defensive Player of the Year, after all). #3 is...Fitzpatrick? Does Plan B free agency count? Then weren't Tasker and Kenneth Davis acquired via Plan B? If that's the case, I'd put Tasker #1 and Davis #4, but I don't think Plan B should count. If it's just true free agency, I'm drawing a blank on who I'd put above Fitz. I guess it would have to be either Spikes or Fletcher. Move Fitzy down to #5. Anyway, a Mario Williams signing would obviously depend on how he played as a Bill, but you'd have to start him out above Spikes - about the same age/experience, but Williams is a bigger star and better player at a more important position than Spikes was when we signed him. Assuming Williams didn't flame out quickly like Paup, he'd be right up there with Big Ted for the top spot. Of course, this is all just wishful thinking, but isn't that what the offseason is for?

Yes and no. No because the Bills went 6-10 last year, haven't made the playoffs in a dozen years, have maybe 4 players casual fans have ever heard of, and will be projected to be also-rans in their division next year. But yes because that resume entering 2012 is still way better than Cleveland or Jacksonville's resume entering 2011, and both of those teams were scheduled for (multiple) night games. Personally, I much prefer afternoon games to night games. I usually watch at bars, and getting home past midnight on a worknight with 5-6 beers in me is not really a winning play.