LABills08

The Bills already have 3 "stop gap" QBs to choose from. They have no one to lead them to the playoffs and that won't change by acquiring Derek Anderson. Gailey is not the kind of guy to make a huge deal out of his QB. I imagine they will fit the scheme to one of our 3 guys, with Edwards having the best shot of starting and Brohm being the sleeper candidate. So, not many plays that stretch the field. But, maybe, JUST MAYBE, instead of dumping passes off to our RB 1 yard in front of the line of scrimmage, we will use quick slants!?

Is he any good? Isn't he pretty old?

The dude has always been ripped. I could care less how big he is. What matters is if he develops the right techniques.

When you say a team that hasn't met...are you talking about how the new coaches haven't even had a chance yet? As for point 3, I think our O-Line has a few capable young guys. I'm a fan of Levitre, Hangartner is adequate, Wood has a lot of potential but that injury has to raise question marks. Bell seems to be over matched at LT, maybe he could take on RT but I'm not so sure. So, from my calculations, we only have 1 current bright spot on our O-Line. Hangartner is a backup on most teams, Wood needs to show he has fully recovered, Bell never showed any promise, and right now, we don't even have a starting RT. Unless it is Bell or Meredith. Neither of whom are ready to start IMO.

To be fair, with this stupid uncapped year, FA isn't really much of anything. Its too bad. This system will destroy small market teams.

I agree with the original poster. To me, this is a subtle message that the Bills are not going to be big spenders in free agency (as if I needed a subtle message to figure that out). Ellison is not my favorite player, I think he is a hard worker without much talent. And whoever said he is "well regarded as a cover linebacker", I'm not sure who is regarding him as such. I think he is well regarded by the BILLS as a good cover linebacker, but to the rest of the league, I'm not quite sure. It is clear that he has been signed to ensure depth at a position that will need to be drastically re-staffed. I'm looking forward to tomorrow to see who the Bills sign, but I'm afraid we're going to have to deal with a Ellison types for another year or two.

If Bills sign an LT on Friday, you might think very differently about this.

I'll take it too. Name me the last time a QB wasn't taken in the first 9 picks? Edit: just looked. 2000. A very weak QB class with the exception of Brady and arguably Bulger (non of which were EVER thought to be Day 1 prospects.

Everyone is saying Bradford isn't worth taking. But literally every single person on this board would have drafted him above Stafford last year. It just doesn't add up. The kid is a great player. Will he be a top 5 QB in 3 years? Doubtful. But can he perform as well (if not better) than someone like Matt Ryan? I don't see why not.

To move up to number one will probably require this year's 1st and 2nd. Giving up the 1st from next year will depend on the other offers and whether or not we throw in any players (parrish?). Note that the Jets got Sanchez for their 2009 1st and 2nd plus 3 players (none of which were particular stand outs, but Mangini liked them). This rumor shouldn't be seen so outlandish. There is no indication (contrary to popular media thought) that Gailey or Nix are here for a short rotation. New coaches want to get their QB. If they think Bradford is that guy, why not move up for him? Many are comparing him to Matt Ryan. If it was my choice, I would just take the best player available at 9, whether it be a DT, a linebacker or an OT. But, the Bills have played it safe the last couple drafts. They might as well take a gamble.

My point about Tate was twofold. 1) We will have to acquire some WRs this offseason. I assume this will be done via an inexpensive veteran FA, but if not.... 2) Tate is Gailey's type of player. Clearly we have larger needs and I HIGHLY doubt we could ever draft Tate (who will be gone in the top 20 after his performance at the combine). But, I'm just saying, he is our new coach's type of player. And I think he will have a strong career. I also just wanted to get some discussion going. Everyone thinks that OT is a lock for pick number 9. And if it isn't a lock, the consensus is we will go with a QB/DT. Well, there is a good chance that the OT we target will be gone by 9. And there is an even larger chance that the top QBs and DTs will be off the board at 9. Consequently, there won't be a NT worth taking at 9. As for OT, Okung solidified himself as a top 5 pick after the combine and if Al Davis has half of a brain left, Campbell will go to the Raiders. There is also a strong possibility that Bulaga could go before the Bills are on the clock (this is obviously the worst of all scenarios as literally NO player the Bills would have taken would fall to 9). That leaves Williams and Davis left for the Bills. No way we take Williams despite having a hole at RT. And Davis had a poor combine and is very raw. Even if Bulaga fell to the Bills, there are question marks about him and some people don't see him deserving of a top 10 pick. I think he will be great, but I'm just saying...there are many who disagree. Essentially, there are those who think Bulaga is the second rated OT after Okung...and there are those who believe he shouldn't be a top 10 pick. Who knows where the Bills stand on this. So, the question is, who do we pick? Maybe someone like McClain. But, I wouldn't rule out a WR either.

I agree that weight room performance is negligible to draft status. But, McCoy is not # 1 on most draft boards. He hasn't been for awhile. On the prospects of him falling to 9, I highly doubt that will happen, but it would be a great day if it did. As of now, I bet the Bills are hoping Bulaga slides to them.

With WR now being a need (unless Gailey intends to use Roscoe, the only WR on the roster with experience) I could see Golden Tate being an option. I would in fact like him more than Bryant, though Bryant has the better upside. Golden Tate is Steve Smith v2.0

The reason why the combine is stupid is that people spend more time looking for reasons to dislike a player rather than spending time looking for reasons to like a guy.

First to admit I was wrong. A bit too giddy to prove the dude wrong. He still fits a 3-4 scheme. And I still see no reason to think he can't be NT. But, whatever.

Link

Campbell is no good, but I understand why a new coach would be interested in him. He is not known for winning, but he is known for his poise. Not sure how that makes sense, but its seems to be common NFL thought. As for Thigpen, why is anyone interested in him? He is like a slightly upgraded version of Ryan Fitzpatrick. In fact, he might be a hybrid of Edwards and Fitzpatrick, but w/o any upside. If the options are Jason Campbell or Thigpen, I'd rather see what our current trio can do. I have no interest in actually giving something up to acquire Campbell. Just wait until he is released.

I don't see the insanity in this idea. Or its not as crazy as all of you seem to think. Though I'm opposed to it, common wisdom throughout the media and throughout our fans is that Marshawn either will be cut/traded or should be cut/traded. If he is traded, we won't get more than a 4th for him. Cheaper and successful alternatives can be found in the 2nd or 3rd round. Given his cost and the fact that one more hiccup will be a long term suspension indicates to me that we might even have a hard time getting a 4th. And if that is the case, I have no problem taking a running back in the 3rd or 4th round. You know who the most reliable draftees generally are? Running backs. And as I just said, you can get a good running back in the 3rd or 4th round (just look at Tim Graham's post in the TBD thread at the top of the page).

Explain yourself. I've seen that certain "scouts" have concluded that same thing, but I don't know what it is based on. Price is a huge, powerful guy. Not too different from Sedrick Ellis in build. Why wouldn't he be suitable for a 3-4? In the same way that people take the combine too seriously, people also take these issues surrounding who can play the 3-4 and who can't way too seriously. Good football players are good football players. If you are a big powerful DT, you should be able to hold your own in the 3-4.

I'm sure this has been discussed and I apologize for not finding the proper thread to post this in, but the Bills should really go after this guy. He is a great fit for NT.

Doubt it was Nix b/c of the last quote. And that isn't a dig at him. But, I don't think many football fans would think of Buddy as "legit. Probably an alum of the Pats FO, like the Chiefs GM. Interesting nonetheless. I have a feeling Bulaga is going to be our first pick. He'll probably fall to us and everyone seems to think he is a sure thing as far as prospects go. He also has more than held his own against the top pass rushers coming out of college this year. That or a nose tackle. Unless Bradford falls to us, which is doubtful. I'm ranting now.

I'd hope not. I have a bad feeling Lynch is on his way out the door ( and it will be yet another example of how the Bills fans and the Bills FO lack patience with one of their better players). But, I can't imagine why they would acquire a DB. It is by far our most stacked position. And it is much better to have duel threat running backs then 3 or 4 starting caliber CBs.

Not sure if the Bills are in a position to acquire an aging QB. I'd rather seem them spend the picks on rebuilding. If the Bills were an 8-8 team, I'd say yes. but we were a 6-10 team, that played like a 2-14 team. Sure, the Cardinals did well with Warner. But the Cardinals had a solid O-Line, an incredible tandem of primary and secondary receivers and a play making defense.

I didn't see Maybin in his drills, but I imagine that there is a learning curve when you ask someone who has never dropped back in coverage, to drop back in coverage. By all accounts, Maybin is extremely athletic. Sure, he might be undersized as a DE, I would agree with that. But the guy is what, 21? He was one of the youngest guys drafted last year I'm pretty sure. Lets see what he can do after the proper tutelage.

I, too, forgot about Ellis. I have much more faith in him as an OLB than as a DE. It is absolutely crazy to me that the Bills drafted players for a scheme that they didn't plan on running (ie, Ellis and Maybin...who were always thought to be 3-4 linebackers).