Been giving this a lot of thought....and I am a OL guy and

[Pete]

I don't agree. In this draft, would you draft a WR, DB or RB if a player at that position is best available ? Your philosophy would make sense for a team that has been consistently drafting well and is indifferent to positional needs. We have so many critical needs on the lines and at the QB position that we cannot afford to blindly go best-available.

Absolutely. Dez White, Eric Berry, and CJ Spiller would all be great additions to this team. And all would help this team more then Clausen or Bradford IMO. We spent a #1 pick for Bledsoe, for JP, for Rob Johnson. That is trying to put square pieces into round holes. Instead go by your board/ Give me dominant football players. Something this team has been lacking. And if you think that this team is so deep at any position that we can ignore drafting it (besides punter)- you are naive. This is a mediocre/poor football team.

[bills in va]

as opposed to your draft strategy. Um lets see. We had the #4 pick overall in the 2002 draft and needed offensive tackles. Using your strategy- that justified drafting Mike Williams or Bryant McKinnie. Use my strategy you have your choice of Ed Reed, Albert Haynseworth, John Henderson, Dwight Freeney- whomever is highest rated on our board. I think your draft strategy sucks. Checkmate

My strategy for this draft would be to focus on both lines, then QB and LB, then WR and best available at the end.

:You say my strategy sucks w/o knowing it...your ignorance on full display. You can't use hindsight and say we could have drafted him, instead we took this guy who didn't work out, that's spilled milk. I am saying that we have many serious holes to fill and we better get offensive tackles, nose tackles, linebackers before the start of the season or we are screwed. I do not care who is the best player on your board when you pick. You pick the best player available to fill major holes like OT and NT. You go ahead and pick Eric Berry if he is there at # 9, that would be foolish. If we don't do something about our lines we are done.

[Fan in Chicago]

Absolutely. Dez White, Eric Berry, and CJ Spiller would all be great additions to this team. And all would help this team more then Clausen or Bradford IMO. We spent a #1 pick for Bledsoe, for JP, for Rob Johnson. That is trying to put square pieces into round holes. Instead go by your board/ Give me dominant football players. Something this team has been lacking. And if you think that this team is so deep at any position that we can ignore drafting it (besides punter)- you are naive. This is a mediocre/poor football team.

Not necessarily but DBs may be more than adequate. However, we need to shore up the positions we are miserable at rather than improve an already decent squad. The offense & run defense need to be brought up to some measure of respectability first before we start bolstering other areas.

[Pete]

My strategy for this draft would be to focus on both lines, then QB and LB, then WR and best available at the end.

:You say my strategy sucks w/o knowing it...your ignorance on full display. You can't use hindsight and say we could have drafted him, instead we took this guy who didn't work out, that's spilled milk. I am saying that we have many serious holes to fill and we better get offensive tackles, nose tackles, linebackers before the start of the season or we are screwed. I do not care who is the best player on your board when you pick. You pick the best player available to fill major holes like OT and NT. You go ahead and pick Eric Berry if he is there at # 9, that would be foolish. If we don't do something about our lines we are done.

so I am ignorant?

Eric Berry would be a gift at #9. Do you mean to tell me if we got a playmaker at S that would hurt this team? Berry and Byrd would be tremendous!

We need playmakers! I agree with the lines. But don't reach for need if our scouts are not sold on them. I would rather have the #3 rated DT in a draft class very deep at DT then the #1 rated LT in a very weak LT draft class. I want players that will be quality players for the Bills the next 5-10 years. Not some #1 rated LT who will be a turnstile then out of the league in 3 years. Seems obvious to me

[Fan in Chicago]

so I am ignorant?

Eric Berry would be a gift at #9. Do you mean to tell me if we got a playmaker at S that would hurt this team? Berry and Byrd would be tremendous!

We need playmakers! I agree with the lines. But don't reach for need if our scouts are not sold on them. I would rather have the #3 rated DT in a draft class very deep at DT then the #1 rated LT in a very weak LT draft class. I want players that will be quality players for the Bills the next 5-10 years. Not some #1 rated LT who will be a turnstile then out of the league in 3 years. Seems obvious to me

Frankly, I am stunned that anyone would be making a case for the Bills to draft yet another DB in the top 10. And that is all I have to say on this topic. Carry on ...

[JPS]

I would actually take a young John Fina on this team right now.....

Eeeeeeek!!!

[PDaDdy]

so I am ignorant?

... then the #1 rated LT in a very weak LT draft class. I want players that will be quality players for the Bills the next 5-10 years. Not some #1 rated LT who will be a turnstile then out of the league in 3 years. Seems obvious to me

 

 

Do your home work. Just because you don't consider o-line important don't say this is a weak class. IT IS NOT! As a side note some project that potentially 4 LTs will go in the first 10 picks and that up to half of the first round picks in general will be on the offensive or defensive lines.

[bills in va]

so I am ignorant?

Eric Berry would be a gift at #9. Do you mean to tell me if we got a playmaker at S that would hurt this team? Berry and Byrd would be tremendous!

We need playmakers! I agree with the lines. But don't reach for need if our scouts are not sold on them. I would rather have the #3 rated DT in a draft class very deep at DT then the #1 rated LT in a very weak LT draft class. I want players that will be quality players for the Bills the next 5-10 years. Not some #1 rated LT who will be a turnstile then out of the league in 3 years. Seems obvious to me

Thanks for making my point so well for me. You would draft a safety with our number 9 pick. Enough said, you don't need me to tell you that your ignorant, just keep posting.

I don't typically bash a fellow BILLS fan, I will make an exception for you because I can't help myself.

[PromoTheRobot]

We need a new QB to kill behind our O-line made up of rejects. Let's draft 3 QB's and send them all in. It will be just like feeding quarters into a slot machine hoping one will pay off.

 

PTR

[PDaDdy]

We need a new QB to kill behind our O-line made up of rejects. Let's draft 3 QB's and send them all in. It will be just like feeding quarters into a slot machine hoping one will pay off.

 

PTR

 

 

LOL....nice. The other pipe dream is to get a QB and "let him sit for a year or 2"....ROFLOL. Everyone cleverly ignores the fact that that doesn't happen in today's NFL with top 10 QB picks anymore.

[Pete]

Do your home work. Just because you don't consider o-line important don't say this is a weak class. IT IS NOT! As a side note some project that potentially 4 LTs will go in the first 10 picks and that up to half of the first round picks in general will be on the offensive or defensive lines.

I never said it was a weak class. Reading comprehension- give it a shot

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

THis is a bit disingenuous. It's not like winning a super bowl is the ONLY measure of a good QB. The first round is the MOST LIKELY place to find a franchise QB.

I agree that, if they don't feel that one of this years crop is a "franchise QB" it would be foolish to spend the pick on him. BUT to say that we need to "fix the O-line BEFORE we draft a QB" is silly. The guy can sit for a year, and it will....AHHHHHHH! I've already posted this. If it isn't CLEAR by now, it's all just j3rking off.

 

Think what you like.....

Do you really think this area's media and a small but loud group of fans who seem addicted to finding one football savior would be willing to let a 1st round drafted QB sit for a year (as he likely would have to no matter who you drafted) and learn the game. Perhaps more accurately do think that Mr. Ralph and what passes as a Bills braintrust would be able to withstand the whinings of these fans and local media that this first rounder needs to produce and produce now.

 

If so, then you simply have a lot more faith in the local media, the whiny fans and ultimately the Bills braintrust with head unknowledgable fan Mr. Ralph actually pulling the strings.

 

This crew in the a seemingly unending dedication to finding a savior have:

 

1. Mr. Ralph personally made a bad football judgment in concluding Jimbo would last to have another contract when he made a handshake deal to violate the cap an reward Jimbo in the future (which never occurred and Mr. Ralph gave him a million dollars walking away money.

 

2, The braintrust screwed up even before this deal and failed to either draft in '94 or pickup a vet to replace Jimbo. Instead the team over-reached to nab Collings with a 2nd in 95 and then rushed him into a starters role when he still had happy feet when Jimbo exited on the golf cart

 

3. The team welched on a deal with Flutie when they promised him at least an in field shot and then though they did "only" pay market value for RJ, they foolishly gave him a contract which welched on their deal with Flutie. Further, though the pcik-up was a forgivable error, they made a stupid contractual error in guarantteeing RJ starter pay when he obviously was injury prone and then when Flutie did what we wanted an hit his incentives it simply put us into an untenable cap position which forced us to overpay the going rate for a QB starter.

 

4. Picking up Bledsoe actually was not a bad idea, but giving him an extension was simply dumb and a predictable disaster seemingly prompted by our single QB savior addiction.

 

5. Again rushing JP to start (even he admitted he was not ready) was another case of the same impatience which I think simply means this team must not get a QB with the first.

 

Getting Bradford or Claussen and having them sit like almost all first rounders actually do (the conventional wisdom that a 1st round pick must start by the end of his rookie year is simply not correct for roughly 40% or more of 1st round picks from what I have seen) is the smart football thing to do but I have no confidence (as you seem to) that the WGRs, Sullys and Mr. Ralphs of the world would allow this to happen.

 

I hope if we end up with a QB that your faith is justified.

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

Nope.

 

Fragile Bradford behind this current OLine? No thanks. Build at the line and then deal with the QB.

[PDaDdy]

I never said it was a weak class. Reading comprehension- give it a shot

 

so I am ignorant?

Eric Berry would be a gift at #9. Do you mean to tell me if we got a playmaker at S that would hurt this team? Berry and Byrd would be tremendous!

We need playmakers! I agree with the lines. But don't reach for need if our scouts are not sold on them. I would rather have the #3 rated DT in a draft class very deep at DT then the #1 rated LT in a very weak LT draft class. I want players that will be quality players for the Bills the next 5-10 years. Not some #1 rated LT who will be a turnstile then out of the league in 3 years. Seems obvious to me

 

 

Try giving writing comprehension a shot. If you don't remember what you typed an hour ago you need to grow something more than a brain stem or cut back on your meds!!!!!

 

If you were just speaking about hypothetically taking the #3 DT in a ficticious strong Dline class vs the #1 LT in a fictitious weak oline class ....WHO CARES!!!!!! Thanks for your brilliant insight Sherlock. Perhaps instead of copping attitude you should get a clue how to express yourself in the written word so that people get your point. Or, how about make a point that is worth making?

[PDaDdy]

Do you really think this area's media and a small but loud group of fans who seem addicted to finding one football savior would be willing to let a 1st round drafted QB sit for a year (as he likely would have to no matter who you drafted) and learn the game. Perhaps more accurately do think that Mr. Ralph and what passes as a Bills braintrust would be able to withstand the whinings of these fans and local media that this first rounder needs to produce and produce now.

 

OR

Getting Bradford or Claussen and having them sit like almost all first rounders actually do (the conventional wisdom that a 1st round pick must start by the end of his rookie year is simply not correct for roughly 40% or more of 1st round picks from what I have seen) is the smart football thing to do but I have no confidence (as you seem to) that the WGRs, Sullys and Mr. Ralphs of the world would allow this to happen.

 

I hope if we end up with a QB that your faith is justified.

 

 

I was a bit confused by this. Which philosophy do you support? If you really think that 40% or more of first round pick QBs sit their first year I need to see the stats. Even if you are within 20%, what is REALLY of relevance is how many QBs drafted in the top 10 picks sit. I have kept asking this question over and over and over and noone can provide an answer. In the last number of years what top 10 QB other than Phillip Rivers has not started by sometime in his rookie year?

 

You can't use the example of late first round QBs to predict what will happen with early first round pick QBs. Those slots are night and freaking day. We are probably talking several million a year between say #9 and #32. Money, on the high pick, dictates that they play. End of story.

 

If you don't feel that way please disregard and anyone who DOES feel that way should take heed! LOL

[thewildrabbit]

Yeah, but he built the line AFTER he had Jim Kelly, RIGHT?

As a matter of fact, the same time.... look!

 

 

1986:

On draft day, Polian again wheeled and dealed with excellent results. Trading a 2nd and a 4th, he picked up a 1st round selection. With his 2 1st round picks, he surprised many in Buffalo selecting RB Ronnie Harmon and grabbed OT Will Wolford with the pick obtained from San Francisco. The Bills already had a full stable at RB with the return of always disgruntled Joe Cribbs , Greg Bell, and solid backup Rob Riddick. Polian selected C Leonard Burton with his 3rd, and FB Carl Byrum with the 5th. Polian displayed his knack of getting quality talent in later rounds. LB Mark Pike and TE Butch Rolle were selected in the 7th.

 

Other USFL free agents signed were Center Kent Hull of the Generals, and DB Dwight Drane. Lost in the Kelly mania that struck the city of Buffalo was Polian's trade of Joe Cribbs to San Francisco for future draft picks.

 

http://www.billszone.com/mtlog/archives/20...the_messiah.php

 

So in 86 the same year that Jim Kelly arrived the Bills managed to acquire LT Will Wolford AND C Kent Hull, two of the very best O linemen in Bills history.

[Pygskin36]

IF he falls to us at 9

 

There is just something about him I really like.......Sam Bradford is my guy.

 

Then we look at a guy like the OT from USC in the 2nd round.

 

 

I am hoping for Clausen.

[PDaDdy]

As a matter of fact, the same time.... look!

 

 

1986:

On draft day, Polian again wheeled and dealed with excellent results. Trading a 2nd and a 4th, he picked up a 1st round selection. With his 2 1st round picks, he surprised many in Buffalo selecting RB Ronnie Harmon and grabbed OT Will Wolford with the pick obtained from San Francisco. The Bills already had a full stable at RB with the return of always disgruntled Joe Cribbs , Greg Bell, and solid backup Rob Riddick. Polian selected C Leonard Burton with his 3rd, and FB Carl Byrum with the 5th. Polian displayed his knack of getting quality talent in later rounds. LB Mark Pike and TE Butch Rolle were selected in the 7th.

 

Other USFL free agents signed were Center Kent Hull of the Generals, and DB Dwight Drane. Lost in the Kelly mania that struck the city of Buffalo was Polian's trade of Joe Cribbs to San Francisco for future draft picks.

 

http://www.billszone.com/mtlog/archives/20...the_messiah.php

 

So in 86 the same year that Jim Kelly arrived the Bills managed to acquire LT Will Wolford AND C Kent Hull, two of the very best O linemen in Bills history.

 

 

Thanks for doing the research and getting the details. I knew that was the answer but didn't have the specifics. O-line pieces in place at the same time or before the QB????....hrm...sounds like a recipe for success.

[thewildrabbit]

My strategy is actually the best player at a position of need not just the best player.......

 

Mike Williams was one of the all time flops.......I am not scared to take another OT high just because of him.

 

I just really like Bradford....to me he looks like a leader.....he was ultra productive in college....he has a quick release...he is extremely accurate.......

 

Its a gut feel

Annnnd the first time he gets blind-sided by a safety blitzer coming untouched and then severely concussed like Edwards was in Arizona...he might start to think, wtf am I doing here and begin running for his life.

 

Its a gut feel

[PDaDdy]

Annnnd the first time he gets blind-sided by a safety blitzer coming untouched and then severely concussed like Edwards was in Arizona...he might start to think, wtf am I doing here and begin running for his life.

 

Its a gut feel

 

 

He'll probably get planted on his shoulder...not that shoulder injuries are a recurring theme with this guy. LOL. I hate to even put it like that but it is what it is. I don't mean to knock Bradford. He could be damn good. Problem is we can't protect him, or anyone for that matter, right now. I'm not talking the luxury of a great protection and 3+ seconds to make up your mind. I am talking about basic safety for his well being. That kid could end up a vegetable with the line we currently have.

[John from Riverside]

Annnnd the first time he gets blind-sided by a safety blitzer coming untouched and then severely concussed like Edwards was in Arizona...he might start to think, wtf am I doing here and begin running for his life.

 

Its a gut feel

 

THat is going to happen even if you draft a offensive linemen with every pick in this draft.....

 

The question is will Bradford have the fortitude to get up and keep plugging along......I think he would.

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

I was a bit confused by this. Which philosophy do you support? If you really think that 40% or more of first round pick QBs sit their first year I need to see the stats. Even if you are within 20%, what is REALLY of relevance is how many QBs drafted in the top 10 picks sit. I have kept asking this question over and over and over and noone can provide an answer. In the last number of years what top 10 QB other than Phillip Rivers has not started by sometime in his rookie year?

 

You can't use the example of late first round QBs to predict what will happen with early first round pick QBs. Those slots are night and freaking day. We are probably talking several million a year between say #9 and #32. Money, on the high pick, dictates that they play. End of story.

Ultimately the real question comes down to the individual and one's assessment of that player. One can easily site multiple examples of individuals like Harrington (a #3 loser at QB) or Tom Brady (a 6th round winner at QB) to provide an example which supports various thoughts.

 

The key to me is that as long as the Bills are looking for one savior (be it a QB or whomever) and not instead working on a strategy that builds a winning TEAM we are likely to be simply depending on luck and chasing rainbows,

 

As far as the QB choice the things which I think are rules we should set for ourselves with our team and this draft are:

 

1. DO NOT TRADE UP- This team has too many needs for us to even further concentrate our hopes and dreams into one player by giving up the likely first day choice or so needed to move up from #9. Thus team badly needs a franchise QB, AND also will need to get a quality starter (actually two) at OLB since we are switching to the 3-4.

 

The OL also badly will need another talent as we are both young and have holes on the OL.

 

The 3-4 move actually relieves raw player need for # of DLs but the type of bodies and style of play of the current DL with the Schobel wildcard may necessitate getting another talented DL player.

 

The TO situation likely creates a need for a #2 but the cap room to make this an FA choice,

 

At any rate giving away a first day resource and dedicating the 1st rounder to a none trench need would likely have serious ramifications.

 

2. Trading up to get Bradford or Clausen is a pretty likely need to get them.

 

3. The large # of needs has to make us pretty risk averse- The only likely reason Bradford might fall to us are questions about his twice injured shoulder. If this is a real risk that scares others quite frankly we should be twice as scared.

 

4. QBs can hit it as rookies but they generally do not. the thing Sanchez/Flacco/RoboQB share in common is not some QB capability but that each had teams around them which could carry them. This Bills team is not gonna carry their QB (unless it is too the hospital after the young OL gets bulldozed.

 

My GUESS is that if the Bills were to get Clausen or Bradford that it will take a bout a half season until the WGR/Sully whiny fan machine simply runs this youngster out of town for putting up results similar to what the rookie Peyton Manning produced for Indy his rookie year.

[PDaDdy]

THat is going to happen even if you draft a offensive linemen with every pick in this draft.....

 

The question is will Bradford have the fortitude to get up and keep plugging along......I think he would.

 

 

First of all if we draft the right guys we can easily go a long way to fixing our o-line. That is partially due to the fact that it is currently SO bad that almost any help would be a vast improvement. LOL.

 

 

On Bradford, I would have to strongly disagree. Haven't we learned anything from the past and his two shoulder issues?

[Bring Back Kelly]

Over the last couple of years, A QB would usually slide down the draft board, but not this year. Those two guys will be gone by 9

[John from Riverside]

First of all if we draft the right guys we can easily go a long way to fixing our o-line. That is partially due to the fact that it is currently SO bad that almost any help would be a vast improvement. LOL.

 

 

On Bradford, I would have to strongly disagree. Haven't we learned anything from the past and his two shoulder issues?

 

So we are going to base injury likelyhood off of one year?

 

I think he played some years before that. One year is not the way to make a evaluation in that area.

 

Also....lets keep in mind that the drafting to improve this line started happening LAST year with the additions of Levitre and Wood....its not like we are drafting for all 5 positions.

[PDaDdy]

This Bills team is not gonna carry their QB (unless it is too the hospital after the young OL gets bulldozed.

 

 

Says it all.

[PDaDdy]

So we are going to base injury likelyhood off of one year?

 

I think he played some years before that. One year is not the way to make a evaluation in that area.

 

Also....lets keep in mind that the drafting to improve this line started happening LAST year with the additions of Levitre and Wood....its not like we are drafting for all 5 positions.

 

 

Yes I do believe he played for years before that and I believe that he had a shoulder problem the previous year.

 

Yes we did start drafting to improve the line last year but we are far from done and we created as many problems as we fixed. We traded our probowl LT and got rid of pretty decent RT when we found out that the lifetime big ugly road grader, not surprisingly, didn't have nimble enough feet or the athleticism to play LT. We then did the smart thing and didn't address either of those positions in FA or the draft.

[thewildrabbit]

THat is going to happen even if you draft a offensive linemen with every pick in this draft.....

 

The question is will Bradford have the fortitude to get up and keep plugging along......I think he would.

Fortitude has nothing to do with a severe concussion, even the toughest players succumb to a concussion.Big Ben missed games, Brian Westbrook missed games this season and neither of those two were hit as hard as Edwards was, concussion problems have ended many many players careers.

 

To be honest about it...it wasn't just the Bills O line overall. It was the total offensive scheme, if you notice that Marc Bulger still gets pummeled in St Louis in the Mike Martz scheme.

 

Bad offense, bad scheme, bad protections, rookie O line coach...

 

Lets face facts, overpaid FA O-linemen didn't work before in Buffalo, and I doubt it will work again... so the only recourse is the draft.

That #1 pick should be on an O linemen, preferably a left tackle as that position trumps all needs. It should have been addressed last season instead of wasting the pick on Maybin.

[Guest dog14787]

Fortitude has nothing to do with a severe concussion, even the toughest players succumb to a concussion.Big Ben missed games, Brian Westbrook missed games this season and neither of those two were hit as hard as Edwards was, concussion problems have ended many many players careers.

 

To be honest about it...it wasn't just the Bills O line overall. It was the total offensive scheme, if you notice that Marc Bulger still gets pummeled in St Louis in the Mike Martz scheme.

 

Bad offense, bad scheme, bad protections, rookie O line coach...

 

Lets face facts, overpaid FA O-linemen didn't work before in Buffalo, and I doubt it will work again... so the only recourse is the draft.

That #1 pick should be on an O linemen, preferably a left tackle as that position trumps all needs. It should have been addressed last season instead of wasting the pick on Maybin.

 

 

Even tried no huddling the madness to really make things interesting...

[Thurman#1]

You guys are F'ed in the head to want another new QB to get pummeled around before he can even learn the system.

 

First it was Bledsoe the Vet...then J.P. the 1st rd draft pick... then Trent Edwards, the guy who Bill Walsh stated would be a very good QB... AND THE BILLS HAVE RUINED HIM!!!!!!!!

Then it was Fitz the vet, then Brohm the Packers practice squad guy.

 

Don't you guys get it... the ONLY way the Buffalo Bills will ever be decent on offense is to build a great O line! The ONLY way to build a great O line is to start with the most important position LEFT TACKLE, then right tackle, then another guard.

 

I's be willing to bet that once Chan Gailey takes a hard look at what he has for O linemen he will draft to fill those positions, at least I hope so.

 

 

Fine, so if the line is all that terrible, then you sit the new QB for a year. This will only help him be ready when we need him. No problem.

 

We're not going anywhere this year no matter who we pick.

[Pete]

Try giving writing comprehension a shot. If you don't remember what you typed an hour ago you need to grow something more than a brain stem or cut back on your meds!!!!!

 

If you were just speaking about hypothetically taking the #3 DT in a ficticious strong Dline class vs the #1 LT in a fictitious weak oline class ....WHO CARES!!!!!! Thanks for your brilliant insight Sherlock. Perhaps instead of copping attitude you should get a clue how to express yourself in the written word so that people get your point. Or, how about make a point that is worth making?

yes, you need to learn reading comprehension, especially before you start personal attacks.

"I agree with the lines- meaning that I agree we need help on both sides of the line. Until we fix the oline, drafting a QB is retarded IMO

 

But don't reach for need if our scouts are not sold on them. BPA, not need for the 1,001 time

 

I would rather have the #3 rated DT in a draft class very deep at DT then the #1 rated LT in a very weak LT draft class. I want players that will be quality players for the Bills the next 5-10 years. Not some #1 rated LT who will be a turnstile then out of the league in 3 years."

I thought you could understand this statement, but perhaps I am overestimating you. No where do I state that this is a weak draft at oline. Au contraire.

 

Did someone piss in your cornflakes this morning?

 

Look, we have been drafting for need the past decade. The proof is in the pudding. This team has been mediocre at best this millenium. You can stick with that asinine philosophy, or you can learn from it and start stockpiling talent on this team. I will choose the later, thank you

[Thurman#1]

<-----Take a long look at my avatar and notice the hole Thurman Thomas had to run thru, It is one of the reasons as to why the Bills were so dominate in the early 90's. Bill Polian built a solid O line that had mostly the same players for years, it is called "continuity".

Something Dick Jauron was clueless about because the players on the O line changed every year under him. This last year he changed every player at every position, and traded away the only good player and pro bowler on the line. That is the reason the Bills had the worst O line in the NFL in 09.

 

The Bills under Jauron and Mularkey tried to "fix" the O line by bringing in high priced free agents and for whatever reason they didn't pan out. Whether it was the poor conditioning, the injuries, the rookie O line coach. Free agents tend to get "Paid" and then slack off, at least the Bills O line players did.

 

Jauron should have drafted for the O line his first year as HC instead of his last,he was hell bent on drafting for the defensive secondary. If they had drafted O line the last four years the Bills might just have an line similar to the NY Jets.

 

Can you imagine what Jackson and Lynch could do with that NY Jet O line to block for them, not to mention the QB would actually have some time to throw.

 

 

Nobody disagrees that we need to build a good OL and that it needs to build continuity. Including TBD. Drafting Wood and Levitre early last year shows that they finally get this.

 

But without a good QB you aren't going to win a SB, the only exception being if you build one of the all-time great Ds, like the Ravens SB winners and the Bears SB winners. And that's just extremely unlikely statistically speaking.

 

We aren't winning this next season. We won't be a really good team till 2011 or more likely 2012. That's a painful realization to come to, but when you have no LT, no QB and are switching defenses, you just have too many needs to reasonably expect to compete.

 

And though good LTs are extremely difficult to find, good QBs are even more so, and it takes longer to train them and longer to find out whether or not they'll be any good. So anytime you have a chance to get a franchise QB, you absolutely have to take it.

 

Again, I certainly don't disagree that we are in dire need of a good LT. I am on record (to the point of nausea to many) as having desperately wanted to keep Jason Peters for exactly this reason. A good LT isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. But good QBs are harder to find and take much longer to develop. If we can get one, we have to do it.

[RuntheDamnBall]

You really consider any one of those guys "serviceable"?!?!

 

The Bills have really only had aONE top flight QB since the merger, JIM KELLY. A first rounder. They have only chosen 2 first round QB's in that time. Kelly and Losman. QB, more than ever, is the MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER ON A TEAM. Maybe if the Bills had chosen more 1st round QB's through the years, we might not have had to sit through all the embarrassing seasons. They missed ONCE with a 1st rd. QB, but with the other pick it was "GLORY DAYS".

 

Once you have "the guy" he should be around for 10 years or so, plenty of time to build up a line. They have failed with SO MANY 1st picks, that I don't see why anyone thinks it would be a catastrophe if they miss again. You gotta have one.

 

For the 1000th time, if a guy is worthy, it's still going to take a few years before a QB is going to be seasoned enough to win regularly. You can fix the other stuff while the QB sits a year, etc. Get a QB in here as soon as possible. Even if they spend a first pick on a quarterback THIS YEAR, we are still likely gonna have to sit through watching one of those "serviceable" QB's this coming season. Then the next year the guy gets it together, THEN the next season, IF WE"RE LUCKY, he will get into the playoffs. That's 2 more drafts and free agencies before the team needs to be a "complete" team.

 

Pick 7 QB's! I don't care, they are going NOWHERE without a good QB, don't try to tell me they need a Nose Tackle more than they need a Quarterback!

They need a Nose Tackle more than they need a QB. A young QB is not going to magically make the offense better and in fact he might just struggle as much as our past QBs did last year. He will need time. He won't have time if his defense is on the field getting gashed by the run, and he won't have time if he has a couple of trafffic cones at the tackle positions.

[Thurman#1]

Yes I do believe he played for years before that and I believe that he had a shoulder problem the previous year.

 

 

 

I believe you believe wrongly. Bradford was healthy the previous year.

 

Here is the game log for that year. Can you point out where he missed any time?

 

http://espn.go.com/ncf/player/gamelog?play...4&year=2008

 

Can you find anything about Bradford's shoulder in 2008, not 2009?

[Thurman#1]

Ultimately the real question comes down to the individual and one's assessment of that player. One can easily site multiple examples of individuals like Harrington (a #3 loser at QB) or Tom Brady (a 6th round winner at QB) to provide an example which supports various thoughts.

 

The key to me is that as long as the Bills are looking for one savior (be it a QB or whomever) and not instead working on a strategy that builds a winning TEAM we are likely to be simply depending on luck and chasing rainbows,

 

As far as the QB choice the things which I think are rules we should set for ourselves with our team and this draft are:

 

1. DO NOT TRADE UP- This team has too many needs for us to even further concentrate our hopes and dreams into one player by giving up the likely first day choice or so needed to move up from #9. Thus team badly needs a franchise QB, AND also will need to get a quality starter (actually two) at OLB since we are switching to the 3-4.

 

The OL also badly will need another talent as we are both young and have holes on the OL.

 

The 3-4 move actually relieves raw player need for # of DLs but the type of bodies and style of play of the current DL with the Schobel wildcard may necessitate getting another talented DL player.

 

The TO situation likely creates a need for a #2 but the cap room to make this an FA choice,

 

At any rate giving away a first day resource and dedicating the 1st rounder to a none trench need would likely have serious ramifications.

 

2. Trading up to get Bradford or Clausen is a pretty likely need to get them.

 

3. The large # of needs has to make us pretty risk averse- The only likely reason Bradford might fall to us are questions about his twice injured shoulder. If this is a real risk that scares others quite frankly we should be twice as scared.

 

4. QBs can hit it as rookies but they generally do not. the thing Sanchez/Flacco/RoboQB share in common is not some QB capability but that each had teams around them which could carry them. This Bills team is not gonna carry their QB (unless it is too the hospital after the young OL gets bulldozed.

 

My GUESS is that if the Bills were to get Clausen or Bradford that it will take a bout a half season until the WGR/Sully whiny fan machine simply runs this youngster out of town for putting up results similar to what the rookie Peyton Manning produced for Indy his rookie year.

 

 

 

Good post. I hear you.

 

But for QBs, you have to have one. If either Clausen or Bradford is the one that Nix wants then trading up would be worth it. The Giants traded up for Manning and won a Super Bowl and the clever Chargers who traded down and still got their guy and extra picks haven't.

 

If either QB (I'd assume it would be Clausen, but that's just my opinion) is the guy, trading up would just be the price you have to pay. This is a rebuilding team. And a QB is building block number one.

[Thurman#1]

They need a Nose Tackle more than they need a QB. A young QB is not going to magically make the offense better and in fact he might just struggle as much as our past QBs did last year. He will need time. He won't have time if his defense is on the field getting gashed by the run, and he won't have time if he has a couple of trafffic cones at the tackle positions.

 

 

Drafting a good QB ABSOLUTELY DOES magically make the offense better. Just not in the first year or two. Three or four years down the road, having a good QB really does have magical results. And we aren't going to be a good team this year anyway.

 

Waiting till we have a good offense and then drafting a QB has two major problems. One, by that time you usually haven't got a high enough draft pick to get a decent QB. And two, your offense is getting older and wasting time as the QB develops. QBs usually don't arrive all that quickly.

[Pete]

Drafting a good QB ABSOLUTELY DOES magically make the offense better. Just not in the first year or two. Three or four years down the road, having a good QB really does have magical results. And we aren't going to be a good team this year anyway.

 

Waiting till we have a good offense and then drafting a QB has two major problems. One, by that time you usually haven't got a high enough draft pick to get a decent QB. And two, your offense is getting older and wasting time as the QB develops. QBs usually don't arrive all that quickly.

who is a good QB to draft?

 

Did you feel JeMarcus Russell was a good QB? Matt Leinart? Brady Quinn? John Beck? ......

[Thurman#1]

I agree, obviously, with the get the o-line in place first. The problem with the get the SUPPOSED franchise QB first crowd is that they all pretty much 100% say let the guy sit on the bench while we put together the line later. To which I always reply THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN TODAY'S NFL ANYMORE.

 

 

Aaron Rodgers.

 

They knew they couldn't play him when they drafted him, yet they picked him in the first. It would be nice if we proved ourselves as smart as the Packers did.

[John from Riverside]

I am just wondering what the board reaction is going to be when we draft Baluga and he gets beat some this year and whatever scrub QB is back there gets hit this year as well.

 

Probably another board meltdown on how much our line sucks.

 

Its going to take patience whatever way we go with that 1st pick......

[Thurman#1]

Levi Jones? I watched every play last year for the Redskins. He sucked....Nothing left in the tank. He got beat like a drum and looked worse than Mike Williams. If Levi Jones is your answer to fix our OL woes, please get a frontal labotomy and start watching curling reruns on sundays.

 

 

Agree. Levi Jones was actually one of the only three tackles in the league rated below Demetrius Bell, though to give him his due, Bell was below him when he got injured. It took Jones a few extra weeks to accumulate an even worse score than Bell.

 

http://profootballfocus.com/by_position.ph...&numgames=1