LABills08

Newton has a ways to go if he is going to start in the NFL. First off, he'll get injured right off the bat if he tries to run the ball himself. He was close to getting knocked out of the game on a few occasions tonight. Second, he is pretty much a more elusive version of Tim Tebow. Take that as you will, but he shoudn't go #3 overall. Third, he's got the arm, but I want to see him make those passes when he is contained on every play. The NFL isn't going to let him run outside of the tackles at will. He's going to have to stay in the pocket and make those throws. I'm not sure he can do that yet. Fairley is the guy, I just doubt he'll fall to the Bills. Which is why I've been saying all along that Luck going back to school hurts the Bills more than it helps the Bills.

Have watched on and off. Fairley pretty much dominates the line of scrimmage. He is strong enough to play in the NFL this weekend if he needed to. Love to see him picked, but I don't think he'll slip past Carolina or Denver after tonight's performance.

Fairley was what we needed; bummed he will likely be picked, but not surprised. All along I've been saying that I don't think Luck will declare, but I think Bills fans should hope he does bc it will be to our benefit to have 1 of the top 2 defensive players available on the board when we pick. The Bills are likely out of the Luck sweepstakes altogether now anyways, unless you predict the Bills to be even worse next year, which would be tough to believe. Personally, I think the chances of the Bills trading down are slim to none. Its just not something they do and there isn't a player worth fighting for at 3 that teams will trade up for, unless someone craps their pants over AJ Green and I doubt that will happen. If Fairley goes over Bowers at 1 and the Broncos pass up on a CB and take Bowers/Dareus(I find it hard to believe that they would take a CB at 2) we are at least guaranteed a shot at one can't miss prospect. At this point, if Fairley is off the board, I bet the Bills will target Bowers. Some might argue that he is a one hit wonder (only having one good year), but the kid has been a can't miss prospect most of his career. He is huge and not easily pushed off the ball. But, most importantly, he can rush the QB. Chan has made clear the Bills will be a multi-front team, so the fact that he doesn't fit a 3-4 as well as Dareus shouldn't be an issue. Robert Quinn just looks too small for the Bills and Dareus, while being the safest bet, is too similar to the guys we already have IMO. I see 0 chance they Bills take Gabbard. I'd prefer Locker anyways, as I think Locker has the most upside out of anyone, even with this poor senior year. So my choice is Bowers. Shoot, I'd even take Heyward if he's still there in the 2nd round, though I think his bowl game performance will put him back in the 1st.

For all of you saying this was stupid, please see Sam Bradford. A good QB is a good QB. No coach is going to come to Stanford and put a scheme in place that will fail to exploit Andrew Luck's talent. Personally, if I were Andrew Luck, I'd probably stay too. First off, he might leave school, go pro, and then be kept off the field for a year until the labor situation is resolved. Second off, the kid is wealthy already, its not like he needs the money. Third off, Stanford is a good school if you haven't heard, its not a bad idea to graduate. And lastly, I don't know about you, but I don't mind knowing that this is a principled kid who won't make decisions off the basis of a pay check. Also, redshirt sophomores are don't necessarily have the highest success rate of rookie QBs. Just sayin', its not as outlandish as people want to think.

Um, maybe the defense was bad bc the Bills took at a team suited for Cover 2 defense and switched it to the 3-4. In other words, the coaching staff decided to change from a scheme that requires smaller, quick players to a scheme that requires very large players (who also..should be quick). That is pretty dramatic. I don't think anyone expected immediate success. Now maybe the Bills need to be questioned for making a decision like that in the first place, but you can't blame Edwards for not getting success w/o almost 0 players who are natural fits for their positions.

Anyone who has access to the internet could do Todd McShay's job. Bills have the worst run defense in the league, no long term solution at QB and a subpar Offensive line, and they take a CB? They have (I believe) Youboty, Corner, McGee and McKelvin all under contract for next year. They might need a safety, though I imagine they'll re-sign George Wilson. Seriously. Shut up Todd.

What a sad story Maybin is. It sounds like at least part of the situation is attitude related. I can't imagine a hard working player who is spending every day watching tape, practicing hard, etc. getting himself called out like that. 1st round draft picks never take kindly to being benched, so there probably is some animosity between player and coach anyways. I can't imagine Maybin took kindly to being benched, though clearly it was deserved. I, admittedly, was high on Maybin after the draft, so I'll admit to being way wrong. But, do we know who has been responsible for some of these draft picks? I mean, you look at McCargo, Maybin....even McKelvin and Whitner to a large extent and you have to ask yourself, how has the scouting dept remained intact? Its mind boggling. The FO literally hasn't "hit" on a first round pick in about 15 years. Seriously. The best 1st rounder we have drafted in about 15 years, is probably Lee Evans or Nate Clements. And both of those players have been disappointments in their own ways.

How does Bowers work as a rushing linebacker? I don't see it.

It makes no sense. The single biggest problem that the Bills have been bad for so long is because they miss on defense. They need to correct that, not shy away from it.

I like Buffalo Rumblings and overall I agree with their general logic. I just don't agree with where their logic leads them. I agree that Nix and Gailey will likely take the best player available to them. They are NOT going to stretch for need, which is why I think QBs are out of the conversation unless Gabbard shoots up the draft boards big time. Everyone needs to stop talking about Luck. I highly doubt he declares and if he does, well obviously, he isn't falling to Buffalo. I also generally agree with the thoughts on Fairley, Bowers and Dareus. In that none of them will have true starting roles in this 3-4 defense. Dareus is the best fit bc he is the most versatile, but none of them can play linebacker which IMO is what the team sorely needs right now. Fairley and Bowers are both meant for 4-3's, though I imagine both could survive as DE's in a 3-4. It just wouldn't be the best way to exploit their talents. Also, we should take into consideration that the Bills invested two high draft picks on d-line players last year. And their starting nose tackle is a pro bowl contender. However, despite all of this, I don't think that Dareus/Fairley are completely out ranked by Green talent-wise. The argument that none of these guys have shown consistent success in college, is to me, negligent. That is often the case for highly touted defenders. Orakpo had big question marks too bc of his inconsistencies. And look at Clay Matthews. Point being, sometimes you get Aaron Maybin, sometimes you get a pro bowler, but you can't ignore someone solely bc they haven't performed over the entire course of their playing career. For some of these guys, they start playing college ball when they are 18 or 19. They gain a lot of weight upon arrival and then start learning entirely new techniques. There are a lot of learning curves in that. I think its different for offensive skill players like WRs and RBs who can often get by on raw talent alone. Also, I can't think of the last time that picking a WR helped turn a franchise around. They got their luxury pick last year with Spiller (a pick I still support), but Spiller was at least supposed to be an asset bc he could support in multiple aspects of the game (kick/punt returning, passing game, running game). AJ Green will be a one trick pony (they wouldn't use him to return kicks). And one could easily argue that a rookie WR takes longer to develop than a rookie QB. It just doesn't make anymore logical sense than drafting Newton or Fairley/Dareus. Now, that being said, I get that Rumblings was trying to predict what they think Nix WILL do, not what he SHOULD do. But, if you have the worst run defense in the league and you don't draft someone to help fix that problem, you should probably be fired. I think Nix is aware of just how bad the defense as and will work to fix it.

So true.

Is now a good time to remind everyone that there are no indications Luck even declares? Having a competitive team that generates some sort of chemistry (however small it might be) is far more positive than having the number 1 overall pick. In fact, to everyone but the fans, number 1 overall is viewed as a burden. You have 0 flexibility, you are on the hook for a lot of money and you are expected to hit a home run. Sure, if Luck declares and the Bills don't have the number 1 pick, it would be a bit of a let down as he does in fact seem like the real deal. At the same time, what if he doesn't declare and the Bills have the number 1 overall selection? Do you really want the Bills giving Da'Quan Bowers a massive contract? Or Marcell Dareus/Robert Quinn? Probably not. Let it play out as it will. Generally, there is little argument that the team with the number 1 overall pick in the draft is in fact the worst team in the league overall. The Bills, whether you like it or not, are not the worst team right now. Not much we can do about it.

Just realized that article has a link to Fitz being mic'd up. Pretty good stuff.

Strong endorsement. I worry sometimes that media members who call him smart do it in large part bc of his undergraduate degree. That is not to say that Ryan isn't extremely bright, he clearly is. But, some writers get lost in hyperbole. That being said, I imagine this isn't too far off from the current thinking of the Bills FO. Fitz will likely start next season, whether or not a rookie QB is drafted. Personally, I think that he remains a short term solution. While he has begun to really get a feel for the game, he still lacks the physical talents necessary to lead an elite offense. I've said he reminds me of Jake Delhomme before, but I don't think that gives Fitz enough credit. I think the better comparison is Chad Pennington, but with less accuracy and a stronger arm.

Yea, with all due respect, you don't pay someone 1.4 million to mentor the players. I think a large part of the Bills thinking was that he would be a good influence on guys like Moats and Maybin, but don't forget that our linebackers/pass rushers are some of the only veterans on the team. This guy was brought in to provide a spark and it failed. I wouldn't be surprised if his best shot at playing next year will be with the Bills. But, you never know what will happen. I think its fair to question why he was signed, but at the same time, at least Nix and Gailey are taking some shots at making something happen. Where are your posts stating that he wouldn't be able to play because of a lingering injury?

So I take back all of that stuff I said about Stevie not being as good as Bills fans think. Hoping Easley can compliment him, bc Lee's becoming secondary to S. Johnson. And lastly, even if the Bills only end up winning 2 games this season, one has to ask. Why the HELL did they not start Fitz from the get go?

You can't complain about the Bills skipping over a TE and addressing the DL. I don't know why Carrington hasn't played yet, but I'm hoping it has more to do with the fact that the Bills defensive scheme is a mess. Rookies often don't know how to play a 3-4, as it is a complicated scheme. If you want to knock the Bills for passing on a OT or a better DL when they took Carrington, thats fine. But, knocking them for passing on Hernandez is silly. We have Nelson who by all accounts was supposed to make some serious strides this year. That is until he hurt himself and failed a drug test. Here's hoping he has a better year next season.

Thanks, must have missed other summaries. I thought this was just another thread that started with a point and then devolved into whether Luck will declare or not.

Does anyone want to write about what Luck actually said to Rome? This thread had a purpose up until the 2nd post.

So does anyone want to write about what Luck actually said? I'm curious.

My biggest problem is that...if this is indeed the case....regardless of what he 'meant' by that quote, why the hell are they playing in Toronto?

This is a fair point. When you the QB 5-6 seconds to throw the ball, the chances of CBs to make a play dwindle. I'm not UNHAPPY with McKelvin, I just would like to see him get burned far less. The plays in which he gives up big yardage are not necessarily plays in which the QB has had ample amount of time to throw or plays in which the wrong defensive scheme was called. Sometimes he just makes boneheaded decisions. But, yes. It all goes back to the pass rush. Which is why teams are supposed to build through the defensive front 7 first, not the secondary. Of course, the Bills never followed that logic.

I could care less if this pans out or not. I'm just happy that Nix is willing to make this type of move. I think this is different from the TO move, which was done primarily to fill seats. This move was done bc it fills two central needs: 1) Pass rusher 2) linebacker Its just good to know that Nix is somewhat on his toes, though I guess everyone is still pissed he didn't claim Gibbson huh?

Fitz is like Jake Delhomme 2.0. I was hoping for more of a Kurt Warner type of late career revival, but this guy should have 3 picks today. At least one of which would have gone for 6. I mean, you just can't make two throws that bad.

Can't blame Spiller for the fumble. Those things happen. We benefited from a Ravens miscue on ST too, just in typical Bills fashion, didn't cash in. To me, this is further evidence that despite what pundits and fans think, the biggest issue on the Bills right now is their total, utter lack of talent in the defensive front 7. Anyone remember the last time the Bills got more than 1 or 2 stops in a game? I guess the Dolphins game, but who knows. The offense definitely has its issues. But, the O-line has improved as the season has gone on. And Fitz might be more serviceable than we think (though he'll never be a long term option). Mark my words, by the time draft day rolls around (and Luck doesn't declare). Many people will suspect the Bills are going to take the top pass rusher on the board. Thank you Maybin.