Search the Community

Name the last NFL QB worth a damn to come out of Oklahoma. Stoops has a great offensive system that allows his QBs to excel. Bradford reminds me too much of guys like Jason White, Josh Heupel, and Nate Hybl.

Nate Clements was a Pro-Bowler in 2004. Willis McGahee was a Pro-Bowler in 2007. Marshawn Lynch was a Pro-Bowler last year...what the hell do you people mean? Leodis should have, and probably will, go as a returner.

2000 - Erik Junior College Phenom Flowers 2001 - Nate Clements 2002 - Mike Tubsy Williams 2003 - Willis Applebee's McGahee 2004 - Lee Evans, J.P. Hey Big Cat Losman 2005 - NUNN 2006 - Donte Whitner's Sampler 2007 - Marshawn Crush Canadian Chicks Lynch 2008 - Leodis McKelvin 2009 - Aaron Maybin, Eric Wood Maybe some progress over the past three years, we shall see.

I'm pretty sure Nate Washington will not be playing the first week due to his hamstring injury. Thus, Chambers is the call.

For Week 1, Nate Washington or Chris Chambers? Before I get ripped to shreds, I want to point out that it's a 14 team league, and this is my #3 WR slot.

Hope we don't get to draft 4th. Here's an optimistic look at what happens if we go 4-12. I could also see going with George Selvie in Round 2 and Geno Atkins in Round 3. Astro Round Pick Team Selection Psn School 1 1 Detroit Ndamukong Suh DT43 Nebraska 1 2 Oakland Russell Okung OT Oklahoma State 1 3 St Louis Taylor Mays FS USC 1 4 Buffalo *Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma 1 5 Kansas City *Dez Bryant WRF Oklahoma State 1 6 Tampa Bay Greg Hardy DE43 Mississippi 1 7 Cincinnati Jermaine Gresham TE Oklahoma 1 8 Seattle Trent Williams OT Oklahoma 1 9 Jacksonville *Gerald McCoy DT43 Oklahoma 1 10 San Francisco Colt McCoy QB Texas 1 11 Cleveland Brandon LaFell WRF LSU 1 12 NY Jets Brandon Spikes ILB Florida 1 13 Seattle Selvish Capers OT West Virginia 1 14 Washington Ciron Black OT LSU 1 15 Houston Terrence Cody DT43 Alabama 1 16 Green Bay *Eric Berry SS Tennessee 1 17 Miami Arthur Jones DE34 Syracuse 1 18 Minnesota Sean Weatherspoon OLB43 Missouri 1 19 Denver *Jevan Snead QB Mississippi 1 20 Atlanta *Jonathan Dwyer RBF Georgia Tech 1 21 New Orleans Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky 1 22 Dallas *Rolondo McClain ILB Alabama 1 23 Baltimore Corey Wootton DE34 Northwestern 1 24 Arizona C.J. Spiller RBC Clemson 1 25 San Diego *Carlos Dunlap DE34 Florida 1 26 San Francisco Darrell Stuckey SS Kansas 1 27 Tennessee Marshwan Gilyard WRS Cincinnati 1 28 Pittsburgh *Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa 1 29 Indianapolis Patrick Robinson CB Florida State 1 30 NY Giants *Rennie Curran SS Georgia 1 31 New England Jerry Hughes OLB34 TCU 1 32 Philadelphia *Marvin Austin DT43 North Carolina 2 33 Cleveland Charles Scott RBF LSU 2 34 Kansas City Syd'Quan Thompson CB California 2 35 Detroit Brandon Lang DE43 Troy 2 36 St Louis Sergio Kindle OLB43 Texas 2 37 Tampa Bay Justin Cole OLB43 San Jose State 2 38 Oakland Vince Oghobaase DT43 Duke 2 39 Denver *Arrelious Benn WRF Illinois 2 40 Buffalo D'Anthony Smith DT43 Louisiana Tech 2 41 New England Mike Johnson OG Alabama 2 42 San Francisco George Selvie OLB34 South Florida 2 43 Dallas *Nate Solder OT Colorado 2 44 NY Jets Eric Decker WRF Minnesota 2 45 Green Bay *Deunta Williams FS North Carolina 2 46 Washington Tim Tebow QB Florida 2 47 Cincinnati *Everson Griffen DE43 USC 2 48 Miami *Joe Haden CB Florida 2 49 Minnesota *Rob Gronkowski TE Arizona 2 50 New Orleans LeGarrette Blount RBF Oregon 2 51 Arizona *Anthony Davis OT Rutgers 2 52 Seattle Kyle Wilson CB Boise State 2 53 Carolina C.J. Wilson DE43 East Carolina 2 54 Houston Eric Norwood OLB43 South Carolina 2 55 New England Sam Young OT Notre Dame 2 56 Kansas City *Ian Williams DT34 Notre Dame 2 57 Philadelphia *Greg Romeus DE43 Pittsburgh 2 58 Chicago *Damian Williams WRF USC 2 59 Baltimore Chris McGaha WRF Arizona State 2 60 Indianapolis Jon Asamoah OT Illinois 2 61 San Diego Thomas Austin OG Clemson 2 62 Pittsburgh *Morgan Burnett SS Georgia Tech 2 63 NY Giants John Estes OC Hawaii 2 64 New England *Allen Bailey DE34 Miami 3 65 Cleveland Ed Dickson TE Oregon 3 66 Kansas City Charles Brown OT USC 3 67 Detroit *DeMarco Murray RBF Oklahoma 3 68 St Louis *Derrick Morgan DE43 Georgia Tech 3 69 Tampa Bay *Maurkice Pouncey OG Florida 3 70 Oakland *Dominique Franks CB Oklahoma 3 71 Denver Kam Chancellor FS Virginia Tech 3 72 Buffalo Sean Lee OLB43 Penn State 3 73 Jacksonville Anthony McCoy TE USC 3 74 San Francisco Myron Lewis CB Vanderbilt 3 75 Dallas Jordan Shipley WRS Texas 3 76 NY Jets Brandon Graham OLB34 Michigan 3 77 Green Bay Jared Odrick DE34 Penn State 3 78 Washington Ricky Sapp DE43 Clemson 3 79 Cincinnati *Bruce Campbell OT Maryland 3 80 Miami Adam Ulatoski OT Texas 3 81 Minnesota *Terrance Toliver WRF LSU 3 82 New Orleans Geno Atkins DT43 Georgia 3 83 Arizona Javier Arenas CB Alabama 3 84 Philadelphia *Malcolm Smith OLB43 USC 3 85 Carolina Dennis Pitta TE BYU 3 86 Houston Walter Thurmond CB Oregon 3 87 Tennessee *Dezmon Briscoe WRP Kansas 3 88 Atlanta Rahim Alem DE43 LSU 3 89 Philadelphia *Greg Jones ILB Michigan State 3 90 Chicago *Reshad Jones FS Georgia 3 91 Baltimore A.J. Edds TE Iowa 3 92 Indianapolis *Navorro Bowman OLB43 Penn State 3 93 San Diego Chris Brown RBF Oklahoma 3 94 Pittsburgh *Ugo Chinasa OLB34 Oklahoma State 3 95 NY Giants Rico McCoy ILB Tennessee 3 96 New England *Ras-I Dowling FS Virginia

Many contracts are back loaded. The player does not expect to see that last year or two. It is designed to spread the GUARANTEED signing bonus over a longer period of time when the deal is made. Ask Nate Clements, he will NEVER play out the contract he signed with the 49ers.

Yep. Sage Rosenfels had like 20 completions to Chris Chambers while being covered by "Moneybags" Nate Clements.

Maybe these Bills will learn the lesson that those Bills learned. After that game they knew how to play to win. They put teams away and kept their foot on the opponents neck. They pulled games out if given a chance at the end (like the Pats* did). Remember the game where Nate Odomes mugged a Denver receiver and took the ball to the house to win a game. I remember a game against the Chargers that the Bills had no business winning but Jim Kelley found a way at the last minute. The Miami game that Jim ran in for a score at the last second to win. The 49's game with no punts that the Bills refused to lose. This team has enough talent maybe this stupid loss will spark that kind of play. I agree that Harmon was different and his comments after the game were the reason that he was traded. McKelvin has a whole season to help fans forget this mistake. I am willing to give him a chance but none of us will ever forget this play. How many of us remember what a great kicker Scoot Norwood was?

Peyton Manning (Ind - QB) Randy Moss (NE - WR) Terrell Owens (Buf - WR) Adrian Peterson (Min - RB) Thomas Jones (NYJ - RB) Jeremy Shockey (NO - TE) Nate Burleson (Sea - WR) Percy Harvin (Min - WR) I am tempted to try and trade manning for Brees somehow. With Trent Edwards being captain checkdown in Buffalo I am thinking of trying to trade owens as well.

Sounds like same Mularkey we heard regarding Titans game where Bruce DeHaven got roasted by fans when players were schooled repeated to stay in lanes. Like in politics people blame whomever they previously rant against no matter what happens. To me it reminds me of Nate's bone headed play when all he needed to do for win was knock down ball and he went for self glory. It is all on Leodis McKelvin.

I just rocked Bills v Pats in Super Techmo bowl. "QB Bills" threw for 400 yds and Thurman ran for 150. Nate Odomes was all over Hart Lee Dykes and returned a pick for a TD.

It easy to get one wrong because their are so many factors in how or why they fail to live up to expectations, but it's hard to get them right. They guys who get them right hit when they take chances. It's not just the number one's that actually live up to the billing, but the 2nd and one guys who they manage to pluck out of the draft. For example, Polian has Thurman Thomas, Ted Donahue has Willis McGahee. Polian traded out of the #3 pick in 1987 to grab Shane Conlan at #8, and with his acquired extra pick took Nate Odoms at #36. Need I bring up the McCargo deal? Polian drafted HOFers. Same thing with Newsome. For every Kyle Boller, he's got Jonathan Ogden (future HOF) and Ray Lewis (future HOF) back-to-back in the same draft, plus Ed Reed (future HOF), Jamal Lewis, Todd Heap, etc. Point is, while the list of players that are not playing for the Bills isn't impressive, neither is the one that still are on the roster. At least guys like Polian, Newsome, Belichick, etc. have either drafted and developed their first round talent, or found legitimate stars in the later rounds. That hasn't happened in Buffalo in over a decade.

From rotoworld regarding Nates contract. 3/2/2007: Signed an eight-year, $80 million contract. In the details section it does show it's one of those escalating contracts where they make a lot more money per year on the backend but on the surface it looks like a $10 mil a year deal. Perhaps a bit strong to say they WAY over paid for him. The point I guess is more about that I feel Whitner was pretty much as good in coverage and is arguably the best CB in the league against the run and tackling.

I don't mean to be a jerk but Nate was WAY over paid by San Fran. This was actually one of the good decisions we made to not pay a guy and let him go. Winfield is a GOOD CB and flat out even better football player. The guy is ridiculous in run support and doesn't miss a tackle. Didn't he lead the Bills one year in tackles as a CB? We screwed the pooch on that guy BIG TIME! Maybe if we paid him, we wouldn't have to spend so many picks in the draft each year on CB's!!! In a few years I can see this guy making an EASY conversion to safety given his tackling and run support ability and extending his career another few years!!!

12 team league (Picked 5th). Starting lineup - QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, FLEX(RB/WR/TE), D, K....Pretty Much Standard Scoring DeAngelo Williams Roddy White Philip Rivers Marshawn Lynch DeSean Jackson Steve Breaston Ray Rice Carson Palmer Lance Moore LeSean McCoy Nate Washington Cadillac Williams Neil Akers Washington D Jermichael Finley My thoughts: I think I have a solid core, but need one of my secondary receivers to step up. Feel like I have a lot of upside to my RB's, but will limp along unil Marshawn returns. Best Pick: Ray Rice in the 7th. I think he's the man in B'more this year. Worst Pick: (TIE) Big reach for Nate Washington with my 11th pick. Probably could have had him off the WW and grabbed Fred Jackson with this pick. Also since we don't need to start a TE, picking Finley in the 15th was kind of a waste. Sleeper: Cadillac Williams. Has looked like the Caddy of old so far this pre-season.

WRONG! (read below) They were FAR from being healthy...they were a MESS! Not only were they without those WR's...the only active receiver they had on their roster for that game, with more than 12 CAREER receptions was Nate Burleson. Courtney Taylor and Seneca Wallace (backup QB), were the other starting WR's. Their sh------- running game would not help this cause at all either. Also, they were without their starting DT Rocky Bernard, who was suspended for that game. And, they were without RT Sean Locklear...starting Ray Willis (12 career games, 0 starts) against Aaron Schobel. Most importantly, Matt Hasselbeck had just returned the week leading up to that game, from a back injury that had him on the shelf from January until September. He only played in 2 series that pre-season, and was not touched once. *SOURCE: http://www.profootballcentral.com/2008/09/...hawks-vs-bills/

there is so much wrong with this post, i don't know where to begin. are you actually aware of why Jim Kelly didn't want to play in Buffalo because he didn't want to play in the cold, and that green bay was another place that wasn't on his list? are you in any way aware of why Pat Williams didn't get re-signed by the Bills after Tom Donahoe said he wasn't interested in re-signing players over 30? did John Butler and the salary cap have anything to do with Black Sunday? were you prepared to pay what Nate Clements earned in free agency? there is so much revisionist history in this thread that you'd swear no one really knew what's gone on? and Lori, you're right. the fiddling has begun and there's absolutely no stopping the Nero player ... the Generation of Swine is upon us and all that's left is to batten down the hatches and pray that some of us are spared, because this thread is speaking in tongues i can no longer comprehend. the degenerates have taken control, and i'm going down for the last time because, alaska, the bartender has suddenly turned up the lights, and last call is upon us. toronto, here we come. jw

Tom Cousineau ring any bells, he was the Bills first overall draft pick in 79 and signed with the CFL instead, who paid him 2x as much as the Bills offered him. Black Sunday, the Bills let go of Thurman Thomas- Bruce Smith- Andre Reed because they needed to get under the cap, instead of trying to restructure their contracts and keep them in Buffalo, they were forced to move on. Thurman a Dolphin, Smith a Redskin and Reed Denver / Washington. Jim Kelly cried on his living room couch at his home in Houston when he was drafted by Buffalo, why do you suppose he did that? If not for Bill Polian fighting tooth fang and nail to pay Kelly, he would have joined the Raiders. Bruce Smith was low balled by the Bills after his first contract was set to expire, Denver offered the Bills 2 first round draft picks and a ton more money to Smith then the Bills were offering, Smith signed with Denver and would have happily moved on if Polian didn't talk Wilson into matching the offer from Denver. Only Bill Polian and the good lord really know what kind of team the Bills would have had in the late 80's and early 90's if Polian wasn't there to fight with Wilson. Oh Wait,well maybe the late 90's and 2000-2008 teams show that. Jabari Greer- Nate Clements- Pat Williams- Antoine Winfield- Jason Peters -all come to mind the last few years. It almost seems like the Bills are a farm team for the NFL for cornerbacks. The going rate for top corners is more then Wilson wants to pay,lets see if he coughs up the dough to keep Terrance McGee.

I miss Pat Williams & I miss Nate, don't miss Lil Antoine at all.

I think it is more challenging to play for a team that only throws when everyone in the stadium knows they are throwing. Having to block when the defense only needs to defend the first 5 yards off the line of scrimmage doesn't help either. Add in a total stiff at guard next to you, so stiff he was cut, kind of adds to the difficulty. I think the surest way out of medicority is to let our best players leave. Because Lord knows, the stiffs we have had at DT are way better than Pat Williams so good thing we didn't break the bank for him. And certainly, losing Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements had nothing to do with our having to spend more and more draft picks on DB's every year to get their replacements while the other positions rotted on the vine. I think our strategy, to over pay for guys like Kelsay because hey, they carry a lunch pail and have a great motor and to break the bank for aging vets on the backsides of their careers like Schobel rather than signing young pro bowlers in their prime is working like a charm. We have the 7-9 seasons to prove it.

Who's the trade partner? Gino at Rosario's Pizzeria? Nobody is going to trade good value for a guy that's held out 3 years running. They know you've got a white hot poker up your arse and aren't going to help you out one iota. Nate Clements wanted the best deal he could get on the open market. The fact that some other teams were willing to give him a big signing bonus and a back loaded contract that had an impressive total dollar amount wasn't under Clements direct control. The "insane" adjective is your own manifestation; he got the best deal he could and took advantage of the Bills stupidity to not protect their investment. Yes, the Bills front office, Marv Levy specifically, foolishly said, "Sure, OK, whatever you want to do, Nate." They let him hit free agency without protecting their own interests. It's rather comical that fans are so protective of Ralph Wilson's largess. Indeed, he has to spend his portion of the skyrocketing salary cap on some players. The number of players on a team hasn't changed, so the ever inflating pool of money has to be thrown at someone per the rules of the CBA. And people wring their hands over whether a delta of $1M or $2M per year is "insane" in a contract negotiation. You're fighting the wrong fight. You're should really be pissed at the system. The system has never been completely fair nor are players wrong to capitalize when wheelbarrows full of money are being tossed around like confetti at New Year's.

Nate Clements wanted insane money form the Bills. He was a Pro Bowler. They watched him walk away. A very stupid organization paid him the insane money. Happens frequently. It shouldn't matter to us how another team values a player. In fact, it's overwhelmingly clear that JP is overvalued so it would be in our best interest to exploit that and cash in. Maybe there is another morbidly obese TE out there who can be taught how to play 14 games or so a year at LT. As for claiming the NFL is not a "true free market"------for practical purposes, it pretty much is. But there have to be contracts or there would be no league. Are you suggesting that at any time, any player should be able to "get" his free market value? How would that work? Everyone has a one year contract? No contract? Is every player always, at any time available to the next higher payer? Without the ability of a team to sign a player to a long-term contract, over time, no team would pay anybody big dollars if they were just renting them for a year. And stop with the "we won't win games without Peters" nonsense. First, he's just not that good, and, if in the real world Peters was the best LT in the league, nothing would have much changed last year anyway.

You understand negotiation, right? You also should understand that, typically, on a new contract, the highest paid player, at any given position, isn't usually the best player at the position. That happens for many reasons, but is usually due to when the contracts are signed. When Winfield signed his huge deal with the Vikings, was he the BEST CB in the NFL? I was, and still am, a huge Winfield fan, but the answer is "no". Same with Nate, when he went to SF. This will be Peters first Left Tackle contract. Even if the Bills make him the highest paid LT in the country (they won't) he will be the highest paid for about 20 minutes (yes, it is an exaggeration). But, by year #2 of his contract, he might not be in the top 5. By year #3, he's just another highly paid offensive lineman. So, while I don't think the Bills should (or will) make Peters the highest paid LT in the league,if they did it wouldn't be as if they are concluding he is the best LT in the league. There's a number between what the Bills are offering, and what Peters is asking for, that should make both sides very happy.

Mammoth Williams brings nastiness to Bills' line By ALLEN WILSON Buffalo News Sports Reporter 4/21/2002 At 6-foot-55/8 and 375 pounds, Mike Williams is a little hard to miss. Just ask Buffalo Bills coach Gregg Williams, who recently got an up close and personal look at the massive offensive tackle from the University of Texas. "He had to turn sideways when he came through my office door," Gregg Williams quipped. Besides Mike Williams' incredible size, his wry wit and gift of gab cannot be ignored. If personality were the sole criteria for being drafted, he would have been the first player selected. He was a big hit at Texas as host of the "Mike Williams Show," on the school's athletic department Web site, which featured plenty of banter between teammates. Williams provided most of the jokes, many of which were at his teammates' expense. Williams also became a media darling while making the rounds to various cities with teams interested in him and during his trip to New York City for the pre-draft activities. At every stop, Williams has been the life of the party. "I like to have fun off the field," the Bills' first-round draft pick said Saturday during a conference call with the local media. "I like to live my life." Williams' good nature shouldn't be taken as a sign of weakness. There is a nasty side to him that loves nothing better than to line up and knock the taste out of your mouth. He had 67 knockdown blocks and 64 pancakes, which means a defender was flattened, during an All-America senior year. "When I get on the field, I like to punish people," said Williams, a former all-state defensive tackle at The Colony (Tex.) High School. "It feels great. You just grab him and you got him. You look in his eyes and he's like, "Oh please, let me go. I'll never do it again.' And I say, "Oh no, no. You're going down.' "And then all of a sudden, you feel his body make a horrible shift, sort like he's been hit with a 12-gauge shotgun. And he's going back and back and back. And then when you land on top of him, you use all your weight and kind of press him into the ground. You kind of want to make an imprint on the ground to remind him that every time you lock up against me this is going to happen to you." That kind of attitude will be a welcome addition to a Bills' offensive line that needed an infusion of toughness. The Bills had a lot of appealing options with the fourth overall selection. But Williams was just too good to pass up. "We're very, very excited about the opportunity to get this young man," Gregg Williams said. "The fact that he is a very large, agile and tough offensive lineman is what we want here. We're not going to compromise the toughness aspect of it and the effort. He has both of those characteristics. And he has a great personality. He adds to the chemistry of our football team. He's a high-motor football player who adds to what we need right now." Mike Williams really wasn't sure where he would go in the draft. He would have been happy to go anywhere. As long as he was picked before Miami's mountainous offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. "I just wanted to be the first offensive lineman taken," Williams said. "To accomplish that goal is so satisfying, and it comes with great responsibility. I think I'm willing to take that challenge and go on with that." Williams is dominating at the point of attack, using great strength and power to overwhelm defenders. Despite his size, he is incredibly athletic and agile. His nimble feet allow him to play with great leverage. Williams said playing other sports like soccer, basketball and karate as a youngster helped his athleticism. "I was always good at football, but I expanded my horizons," he said. "I wanted to venture out and try other sports. With soccer and karate, you get flexibility. It just helped me so tremendously. Another part of (why he's so athletic) is I was blessed." Williams played right tackle at Texas, primarily because left-hander Chris Simms was the starting quarterback most of the season. But the Bills feel Williams can move to the left side. "I'm comfortable at either side," Williams said. "I think I have good ability and athleticism to play right or left. It doesn't even matter to me." Perhaps Williams' biggest adjustment will be the speed of the NFL game. "Yeah, they are probably a little bit faster," he said, "but I'm still going to chase them as fast as I can." The Bills suddenly have some depth at offensive tackle, which includes free-agent pickups Trey Teague and Marcus Price. While no one doubts Williams won't be a starter once the season begins, Gregg Williams said the rookie must compete for the job. "All of a sudden now you take a step up," coach Williams said. "You're playing a man's game up here at this level with some big people who have played at this level. He has not played at this level, so he has to come in here and earn his stripes like everyone else." That's fine with Mike Williams. "I'm going in to work hard," he said. "My dad (Kevin) is a retired (Army) lieutenant colonel, and he always said work for what you earn. I have the opportunity to go to a great team and a great place. I don't need to go in there thinking I'm big stuff. I need to go in there trying to make a big impact." Donahoe's 'stud' poker tactics land nation's best run blocker By JERRY SULLIVAN Buffalo News 4/21/2002 It would have been a lot more dramatic if the Drew Bledsoe deal had gone through. All day long, I had my fingers positioned over the computer keys, ready to declare it the Bills' most significant personnel upgrade since Jim Kelly rolled into town in 1986. But it was a good day for the home team just the same. General Manager Tom Donahoe, who would make a fine poker player, did the wise thing on draft day. After all the speculation about trading down, he stayed in the No. 4 slot and nabbed offensive tackle Mike Williams, who should be a mammoth mainstay for years to come. The more the Bills' personnel men looked at it, and the more time they spent examining their needs and weighing the possibilities, the more obvious it became that Williams was the guy. In the end, all the talk about trading down was just that. Talk. No one called the Bills, seeking to move up, and the Bills weren't calling anyone, either. That's how sure they were about Williams, an uncommonly nimble 375-pounder from the University of Texas. Donahoe said it would have taken an "unbelievable" offer to move them out of the fourth hole in the draft. When their time came, they barely hesitated and made him the highest-drafted offensive lineman in franchise history. Donahoe has a reputation for trading down on draft day. Maybe he could have traded down, grabbed a defensive lineman and picked up an extra pick in the process. But at some point, it's not about extra picks. It's about finding a player who is so good, so remarkably gifted, that you have to take him. It had been a long time since the Bills drafted that sort of player. They hadn't picked in the top 10 since Shane Conlan in 1987. From 1991 to 2001, they had just one pick in the top 20 - Ruben Brown at No. 14 in 1995. They hadn't picked an offensive lineman in the first OR second round since '95. So the time had come for the Bills to get a stud, and even more imperative to address the position that has been in disarray almost since their last Super Bowl trip: offensive line. Donahoe has done a terrific job filling holes on his team, adding depth and skill through free agency. But if you're going to win the Super Bowl, you need a core of players who went high in the draft. Williams is a good start. LSU's Josh Reed was a surprise in the second round, but there wasn't a more productive receiver in college last season. We're not talking about a player from some obscure conference. He player in the SEC and had 19 catches for 293 yards against Alabama. Presumably, the Bills are already preparing for Peerless Price's departure in free agency after the season. There are still big questions on defense. How do they intend to stop the run? With Tyrone Robertson and Ron Edwards? Might they be waiting to scoop up some free agent linemen when NFL teams purge their rosters after June 1? And who is going to quarterback this team? If not Bledsoe, then who? Will they go back to Jeff Blake? Or will it be Alex Van Pelt's team? One thing is fairly certain. No one will be howling about Donahoe failing to address his offensive line. Last year, he was roasted for failing to take Kenyatta Walker in the first round. The O-line was bad, and injuries made it worse. At times, the Bills were forced to start tackles who were barely qualified as backups. Donahoe bristled whenever Walker's name was mentioned; he was quick to point out that Nate Clements, the cornerback he'd taken instead, had acquitted himself well in his rookie year. He said Jonas Jennings, his third-rounder, would perform like a top pick. Still, he knew the line was a problem, and he did something about it. Donahoe had been cagey about his intentions. When he signed Marcus Price and Trey Teague in free agency, it fed speculation that the Bills were going defense in Round One. But Donahoe wanted a superstar on his offensive line, a player who could be the engine for a legitimate power running attack. "If we want to be a quality football team, it starts with the offensive line," Donahoe said Saturday after selecting Williams. "That's the No. 1 priority. We have to get better there. Once you get better there and you're able to control the ball, it makes your whole team better. A quality offensive line, where you put your team in the position to control the ball for 33, 34, 35 minutes a game, it improves your defense." If Williams is as good as advertised, he'll also help the defense. If you run well, you keep your defense off the field. You send them back out with better field position. As offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride says, you dictate to the opposition rather than vice versa. Football is a simple game. Run and stop the run. Last year, the Bills were constantly in second-and-long. That's a recipe for offensive disaster. It also exposes your quarterback to injury because long down-and-distance plays invite pass rushers to pin their ears back and come after you. Run effectively on first down and it's a different game. The Bills have drafted the best run blocker in America. Tailback Travis Henry has to be the happiest guy in town - along with Brown, who has a star quality tackle to play alongside, and with a personality to rival his own. One of those draft-day commercials on ESPN concluded Sunday with Williams saying, "The camera loves me." The quarterbacks will love him, too; a good running game is a QB's best friend. I don't know who it will be, or how good an arm he has. But if this thing works out as planned, he'll do some of his best work handing off. Donahoe makes safe, smart pick at No. 4 Bills' GM doesn't gamble, takes a big building block for future By Leo Roth Rochester Democrat and Chronicle April 21, 2002 There were six trades made in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft and wagering a Jim Kelly rookie card that the Buffalo Bills would be involved in one seemed a safe bet. General manager Tom Downahoe -- er Donahoe -- is a noted wheeler-dealer, making moves in seven of the nine previous drafts he conducted for Pittsburgh or Buffalo. He's not bashful about picking up a phone. Given his history, we were bracing for Donahoe to throw away the only good thing about last year's 3-13 record -- the No. 4 overall pick. Trading down from Rodeo Drive and ending up in a strip mall. But it didn't happen. Donahoe isn't a habitual gambler after all. He valued the top five pick as gold; like he plans on never picking this high again. "We were pretty determined with the pick," Donahoe said. "It would've had to have been an unbelievable offer." But nobody called and he wasn't calling anybody. So, after five months of speculation, starting about the time the Bills fell to 1-7 last November, they did the smart and logical thing, selecting University of Texas offensive tackle Mike Williams. Sexy? No, that would've been taking Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington, who went to Detroit a pick before Buffalo. Intriguing? That would've been North Carolina defensive tackle Ryan Sims, who went to Kansas City two spots later. A reach? That would've been Oklahoma safety Roy Williams, who went No. 8 to Dallas. Safe and sound? An enthusiastic yes. Finally, a first-round pick by the Bills that legitimately addresses a line that's been in decay for a decade. A pick to make amends for Corey Louchiey, Jamie Nails and Robert Hicks. Buffalo is in a full-blown rebuilding mode, a project that takes patience and a foundation. Adding Mike Williams, an engaging 6-foot-6, 375-pound man-mountain with a mean streak, was a cement truck backing up to One Bills Drive. Yes, the Bills could've shipped the fourth pick to New England to perhaps get a trade for quarterback Drew Bledsoe accomplished. They could've traded with the Lions for Harrington. But those moves put the cart in front of the horse. By hanging onto the pick and selecting Williams, Donahoe and coach Gregg Williams were true to their roots and their master plan for the Bills. You win in our climate by running the ball and keeping your quarterback out of the hospital when he has to pass. Taking Mike Williams just made incumbent Alex Van Pelt better. Donahoe knows the drill. In Pittsburgh, he took cornerstone tackle Leon Searcy 11th overall in the first round in 1992 and went to a Super Bowl three years later with Neil O'Donnell at quarterback. "If you look at teams in the league that are good teams year in and out, it usually starts with the offensive line," Donahoe said. "When we went into the off-season, we talked about this a lot and made it a priority." Williams follows the free agent additions of Trey Teague and Marcus Price and the drafting last year of starter Jonas Jennings. Suddenly, a line that resembled a piece of swiss cheese on cleats has the potential to shine. "There will be some healthy competition (now) and hopefully at the end of training camp, we'll have five guys who can go out and knock someone on their rear end," Donahoe said. The Bills were too soft last year. They are in dire need of an attitude adjustment and Williams sounds like a recruit from the WWF. He once picked up his 9-year-old brother and dropped him on top of the family TV set. In scouting circles, he's what's known as a "finisher," a blocker who isn't content with just getting in the way of a tackler, he needs to inflict pain or the game's just not fun. His last two seasons for Texas, he led in "pancake" hits (205) on the field -- and pancakes eaten off it. "When you land on top, you use all your weight," Williams said gleefully. "You want to make an imprint in the ground and remind him, 'Every time you go against me, this is going to happen to you.' " Gregg Williams fell in love with Mike Williams when the big Longhorn visited Ralph Wilson Stadium before the draft and had to walk sideways into his office. While Miami's Bryant McKinnie (seventh to Minnes-ota) was also highly considered, the Bills felt Williams was a better run blocker. Nimble on his feet. A meat locker on coasters. They made the pick with six minutes still on the clock. "It wasn't a (debate)," Tom Modrak, director of football operations said. "We all felt strongly that this was the guy for us." The only thing that flowed more than coffee during the six-hour first round was optimism. The reality is that no pick is a sure thing. If you're looking to increase your odds, however, picking offensive linemen high is the way to go. The linemen taken in the top five since 1995 include Tony Boselli (Jaguars), Jonathan Ogden (Ravens) and Orlando Pace (Rams). Their teams have been among the NFL's best, with the Ravens and Rams winning Super Bowls. Buffalo's own history shows a strong correlation between first-round linemen and winning -- Paul Seymour and Joe DeLamielleure in 1973, Jim Ritcher in 1980, Will Wolford in 1986, John Fina in 1992 and Ruben Brown in 1995. The only outward knock on Williams is his weight. "While he really likes football, Williams also loves eating," analyst Joel Buchsbaum said. If Donahoe can stay away from the trade table in Round One, the least Williams can do is stay away from the dessert table.