In retrospect

[Virgil]

First off, let me say that I firmly believe that none of us have any idea what goes into the scouting and drafting process. There are probably so many things going on that we will never comprehend and therefor it's hard to pretend to what's really going on with the Front Office. Overall, I'm not a huge fan of our draft just because I think we overdid it on the Defensive side and waited to long to get a LT. We are taking a huge gamble on our current QB's and Offensive line to not address them with high picks, but again...that's me.

 

One thing I do take into consideration is that a lot of the guys we wanted, got passed on by us, but also by a lot of other people. I can't remember a draft like this where the pre-draft rankings were so wrong. I mean, when we took Troupe in the second round, I wanted to get upset, but honestly, there were many other DT's taken before and after him that weren't Cody or Cam Thomas. So clearly, there was something we were missing. Same with the OT Campbell.

 

In any case, I have to have faith in the talent we brought in to not be reaches and good impact. I just don't agree with the direction. However, for fun, imagine if I could go back in time to Wednesday and told you we walked away with:

 

RB Spiller

QB Clausen

DT Cam Thomas

OT Campbell

OT Wang

 

I admit, I had a higher opinion of Clause, Thomas, and Campbell before the draft, but they fell for a reason. Show's what we know I guess...

[John from Riverside]

I am curious to know what you dont like about the direction?

[Virgil]

Without writing out he world, I believe that the NFL has such great parody that the idea of full rebuilding is outdated. To tell fans that they need to wait another 3 years after missing the playoffs for a decade is absurd. All of the players in the NFL are professionals and, while some are better than others, there is enough in FA to and the Draft to atleast be competitive and add a few wins each year.

 

With that, I think we did a great job of filling in the box on the defensive side. Seriously, we got huge. And, if we are gonna be that team that pounds it down your throats and wins 3-0, then great. The problem is that, while our D wasn't great, our O was worse. We can't pound the ball cause we don't have an O-Line. And even if Bell is the answer, who is his back-up? Our O-Line was by far the weakest unit on the field. We have no depth and most of the guys suffered pretty large injuries last year. Our O-Line could be so comical again this year, and with Captain Check-down behind the helm, we will pry be better off punting on first down.

 

At the end of the day, I agree with the DT pick in the 2nd. But we have Kyle Williams and Stroud to start as DE's. That may not be a dream team, but I think it would do the job. It would atleast be average, not a need anymore with Troupe. At LB, we have our ILB's with Davis and Poz. Between Maybin, Schobel, Harris, Mitchell, and Kelsay...we should have been fine to add a OLB with a later round pick, which is why I like the JMU pick. But that's it. That's it for the D. Would they be the most dominant bunch like the Jets or Ravens? No. But they wouldn't lose games either. I would have wanted the rest of the picks to go to building the O-Line with 2 starters and pry 2 more for depth cause right now, we don't have Depth or starting Tackles. They guys they got today are going to be depth in the first year. They get your WR, which maybe they did with the UConn kid, but you are telling me that there wasn't a single College QB worth a look? I find that hard to believe. But maybe that was the case.

 

So what direction? I guess a balanced one. We got some guys in FA for the D, and that unit was well ahead of the O. So balance it out in the draft. Here's what I wanted to see:

 

DT - Starter

OLB - Competition

OT - Starter

OT - Starter

OT - Depth

OG - G/C Depth

QB - Grooming

 

And then whatever else depth.

 

Seriously, I can't believe anyone out there expects this offense to do anything at all this year. I'm talking, complete joke on the field bad

[beerme1]

Seriously, I can't believe anyone out there expects this offense to do anything at all this year. I'm talking, complete joke on the field bad

 

With Spiller there will always be a potential td regardless of where we are on the field. Unlike Marshawn or Willis this guy if he finds a hole will not get caught from behind. Sorry to disagree with you because believe me I am someone who says we have been a complete joke on the field. Spiller is a game changer. Money in the bank. Watch and enjoy. With him we will be far from a joke.

[Buftex]

Without writing out he world, I believe that the NFL has such great parody that the idea of full rebuilding is outdated. To tell fans that they need to wait another 3 years after missing the playoffs for a decade is absurd. All of the players in the NFL are professionals and, while some are better than others, there is enough in FA to and the Draft to atleast be competitive and add a few wins each year.

 

With that, I think we did a great job of filling in the box on the defensive side. Seriously, we got huge. And, if we are gonna be that team that pounds it down your throats and wins 3-0, then great. The problem is that, while our D wasn't great, our O was worse. We can't pound the ball cause we don't have an O-Line. And even if Bell is the answer, who is his back-up? Our O-Line was by far the weakest unit on the field. We have no depth and most of the guys suffered pretty large injuries last year. Our O-Line could be so comical again this year, and with Captain Check-down behind the helm, we will pry be better off punting on first down.

 

At the end of the day, I agree with the DT pick in the 2nd. But we have Kyle Williams and Stroud to start as DE's. That may not be a dream team, but I think it would do the job. It would atleast be average, not a need anymore with Troupe. At LB, we have our ILB's with Davis and Poz. Between Maybin, Schobel, Harris, Mitchell, and Kelsay...we should have been fine to add a OLB with a later round pick, which is why I like the JMU pick. But that's it. That's it for the D. Would they be the most dominant bunch like the Jets or Ravens? No. But they wouldn't lose games either. I would have wanted the rest of the picks to go to building the O-Line with 2 starters and pry 2 more for depth cause right now, we don't have Depth or starting Tackles. They guys they got today are going to be depth in the first year. They get your WR, which maybe they did with the UConn kid, but you are telling me that there wasn't a single College QB worth a look? I find that hard to believe. But maybe that was the case.

 

So what direction? I guess a balanced one. We got some guys in FA for the D, and that unit was well ahead of the O. So balance it out in the draft. Here's what I wanted to see:

 

DT - Starter

OLB - Competition

OT - Starter

OT - Starter

OT - Depth

OG - G/C Depth

QB - Grooming

 

And then whatever else depth.

Seriously, I can't believe anyone out there expects this offense to do anything at all this year. I'm talking, complete joke on the field bad

 

I am as skeptical as anyone when it comes to the Bills...until they start winning more games than they lose, I think I am at the point where I just assume anything they did was wrong, or could have been handled better.

 

That said, I think you are suffering, at least with this statement, from the scars of the Dick Jauron era offense. I am not a Chan Gailey ballwasher, but, I would be shocked, even with the current roster, if this offense does not improve this coming season. It may not be good, as you say, but I really find it hard to believe that this new staff will be as inept, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, as what we have suffered through, the last four seasons. I think a competent, not even great, offensive coaching staff would have been able to make more with what the Bills roster had, than Jauron and company... Gailey does have a proven track record of making something with nothing, on offense.

[John from Riverside]

A few thoughts

 

- I thought the plan was for Kyle Williams to be the pass rushing NT in this new scheme.....with Troupe being the space eating 2 down run stopper.....then we have the Stroud and the DE we brought in free agency from Baltimore (who was listed as one of the good ones in free agency at that position) with Carriker and Johnson backing them up......that is a pretty darn solid rotation......the addition of a legit run stopping NT is what make sit all work.

 

- Because we were weak up from on the D line last year our linebackers were not kept clean......Not only do I like Maybin's potential in this roll better but we hedged our bets by bringing in more defensive talent from the draft.

 

- What it looks like to me is they solved the second biggest problem of the team which was not being able to keep other teams runners to under 100 yards and forcing them to take to the air and play to our strengths on defense. This was the number TWO problem of the team

 

Now onto the number one problem

 

- We cannot discount the amount of injuries we had on our O line.....I dont ever remember seeing a team hit that badly. Now the old mgt did not help themselves by deciding they want to get rid of all the veteran guys and then compound the problem with the "hurry up" with young players that actually NEEDED that huddle. Trading Peters didnt bother me so much as not having a real plan in place to replace him.....then we cut Langston Walker when he would have been perfectly fine on the RT side. A string of injuries and bad decisions killed this team offensively.

 

- Then there was the OC and playcalling itself.....you knew we were in trouble last year when the OC gets fired right before the start of the season and bad mouths the team on the way out.

 

- One thing that I do trust is Chan Galey's experience on the offensive side of the ball.....he is the HC and OC so you go right to him if it doesnt work and he knows that......and he has a track record of getting it done with less then pro bowl players. He is the PERFECT coach for this time at this time.

 

- Now one thing that cannot be ignored is that Nix said this team is void of playmakers......they addressed it in this draft but that statement still cannot be ignored. I think what he meant is that guys like Lee Evens, Shawn Nelson, Freddie Jackson and Marshawn Lynch are GOOD players.......that is why we went CJ Spiller with that 1st pick is because we didn't have any guys that could make a SPECTACULAR play.......a play that could change field position.....a play that could put a game away.....a play that could bring us from behind. He is the first step in this process.

 

- We just dont have an owner that is willing to get us all the way back in an offseason by bringing in the expensive free agents to go along with the good drafts.....so it is going to take a little longer.

[murra]

I'm just shocked there are still Clausen fans out there after all 32 teams validated he was one of the most over-rated pre-draft prospects in recent memory. All of the teams basically put Kiper to shame when he had him as the 4th best overall player. Essentially, I think that all Clausen fans were subject to media hype and never really paid attention to his loss record, his lack of intangibles, and his suspect ability.

[Virgil]

I agree with all of you in the essence of what you are saying. And believe me, I want to see us compete and I wish I could convince myself that it was all the Dick Jauron era that killed our Offense. However, I just can't.

 

Yes, I remember the game against San Diego two years ago where Trent looked like an MVP. But I also just can't shake the games where he looked like Brohm did in his first start for us. I know that playbooks and calls make a difference, but I also think some people have it and some don't. I've seen too much from Trent either not having it or being hurt to think even Shannahan could fix him. Fitz has had his chance with Cinncy and here and I think he is capped too. Now Brohm is the wildcard, but that's really a long-shot if you ask me. Plus, we are really banking that Steve Johnson and James Hardy are both going to magically step up over the course of an offseason. I like Stevie, but going as our number 2 guy is a stretch. There is no reason to believe that Evans will not go back to getting consistently double team again.

 

I'm not trying to be negative here. I'm really not. I just don't think our QB's, WR's and O-Line (Even if healthy) have what it takes to get it done. Playbooks get you so far, at one point, the talent has to step up. Did the playbook change when Brady took over for Bledsoe or when the sit Manning to prep for the playoffs? No. But man is it a different team.

 

Again, I hope to be wrong.

[Virgil]

I'm just shocked there are still Clausen fans out there after all 32 teams validated he was one of the most over-rated pre-draft prospects in recent memory. All of the teams basically put Kiper to shame when he had him as the 4th best overall player. Essentially, I think that all Clausen fans were subject to media hype and never really paid attention to his loss record, his lack of intangibles, and his suspect ability.

 

Dude, I thought that was hillarious. Nothing against Clausen, but man did it make Kiper look dumb. Late into round 2 and his 4th best player is on the board?!? And, if you remember, Bradford was his 5th. Like I said before, this was pry the most mis-read talent going into a draft that I can remember by the "experts".

 

I mean, while I agree that Tebow got reached for. How seriously can you take Kiper when he's dissing the pick by the Bronco's and his boy is still on the board.

[John from Riverside]

Dude, I thought that was hillarious. Nothing against Clausen, but man did it make Kiper look dumb. Late into round 2 and his 4th best player is on the board?!? And, if you remember, Bradford was his 5th. Like I said before, this was pry the most mis-read talent going into a draft that I can remember by the "experts".

 

I mean, while I agree that Tebow got reached for. How seriously can you take Kiper when he's dissing the pick by the Bronco's and his boy is still on the board.

 

I know we took a QB but I still dont believe that our end game QB is on the roster yet......but that does not mean that we are not moving in the right direction.

 

A couple more thoughts

 

- I have heard it said quite a bit that you need to get the O line in place before drafting the QB.....OK fine I agree with that (I also think that the process of that HAS been started nobody could predict the horrible injury Eric Wood took last year but he WILL be back) I actually like Wang even if he is not ready to play immediately. Perhaps the plan is to

 

Play D. Bell till Wang is ready

Keep Levitre at his spot

Move Wood into Center

Move Calloway RG

Have the Raiders RT and Meradith fight it out over the RT spot....I really like Meradith

 

- Just as important in the process of getting a O line in front of a QB.....you also have to have a Defense in place that can create turnovers, create field position, and give the team as many offensive snaps as possible. Basically if the other team can t keep their offense on the field they cant score.

 

- Regarding Clausen......one theory that I heard that is sound to me on why Clausen fell is he has reached his potential.....he was well coached at Notre Dame and was just maxed out.....college players have to get BETTER in order to be good NFL players......that is why QB's are drafted on potential so often.

[billsfanmiami(oh)]

A few thoughts

 

- I thought the plan was for Kyle Williams to be the pass rushing NT in this new scheme.....with Troupe being the space eating 2 down run stopper.....then we have the Stroud and the DE we brought in free agency from Baltimore (who was listed as one of the good ones in free agency at that position) with Carriker and Johnson backing them up......that is a pretty darn solid rotation......the addition of a legit run stopping NT is what make sit all work.

 

- Because we were weak up from on the D line last year our linebackers were not kept clean......Not only do I like Maybin's potential in this roll better but we hedged our bets by bringing in more defensive talent from the draft.

 

- What it looks like to me is they solved the second biggest problem of the team which was not being able to keep other teams runners to under 100 yards and forcing them to take to the air and play to our strengths on defense. This was the number TWO problem of the team

 

Now onto the number one problem

 

- We cannot discount the amount of injuries we had on our O line.....I dont ever remember seeing a team hit that badly. Now the old mgt did not help themselves by deciding they want to get rid of all the veteran guys and then compound the problem with the "hurry up" with young players that actually NEEDED that huddle. Trading Peters didnt bother me so much as not having a real plan in place to replace him.....then we cut Langston Walker when he would have been perfectly fine on the RT side. A string of injuries and bad decisions killed this team offensively.

 

- Then there was the OC and playcalling itself.....you knew we were in trouble last year when the OC gets fired right before the start of the season and bad mouths the team on the way out.

 

- One thing that I do trust is Chan Galey's experience on the offensive side of the ball.....he is the HC and OC so you go right to him if it doesnt work and he knows that......and he has a track record of getting it done with less then pro bowl players. He is the PERFECT coach for this time at this time.

 

- Now one thing that cannot be ignored is that Nix said this team is void of playmakers......they addressed it in this draft but that statement still cannot be ignored. I think what he meant is that guys like Lee Evens, Shawn Nelson, Freddie Jackson and Marshawn Lynch are GOOD players.......that is why we went CJ Spiller with that 1st pick is because we didn't have any guys that could make a SPECTACULAR play.......a play that could change field position.....a play that could put a game away.....a play that could bring us from behind. He is the first step in this process.

 

- We just dont have an owner that is willing to get us all the way back in an offseason by bringing in the expensive free agents to go along with the good drafts.....so it is going to take a little longer.

 

 

nice analysis. I agree with pretty much all your points. I think the "tough" thing for us as fans is that the new regime is actually taking the approach that we've needed for years. They're blowing it up. In this draft they identified the areas of weakness that they thought could be improved upon the most in this particular draft. They didn't panic and draft a qb that wasn't worthy of the pick just because we "need" one. I will admit though, I'm troubled the OT position wasn't addressed until late. Seems like that Nix & Co. are ready to do a complete overhaul over the next few years to get this team back to being competitive. Even though it may take a couple years, I'd rather have that core built up instead of trying to make some new gimmick the new hope for the playoffs (ie:TO, no huddle, etc.)

[beerme1]

I mean, while I agree that Tebow got reached for. How seriously can you take Kiper when he's dissing the pick by the Bronco's and his boy is still on the board.

 

What an awesome point! Mel....hmmm.. I think he is good at running a diner but definitly not a draft!

[John from Riverside]

nice analysis. I agree with pretty much all your points. I think the "tough" thing for us as fans is that the new regime is actually taking the approach that we've needed for years. They're blowing it up. In this draft they identified the areas of weakness that they thought could be improved upon the most in this particular draft. They didn't panic and draft a qb that wasn't worthy of the pick just because we "need" one. I will admit though, I'm troubled the OT position wasn't addressed until late. Seems like that Nix & Co. are ready to do a complete overhaul over the next few years to get this team back to being competitive. Even though it may take a couple years, I'd rather have that core built up instead of trying to make some new gimmick the new hope for the playoffs (ie: no huddle)

 

If we dont go heavy on offense in next years draft I will be a little concerned.......I really want Wang to get that LT but at the same time we did not draft him until late. I am concerned about D. Bell because he didn't play the whole year so we dont have his body of work....I DONT want to see Chambers or Levitre out at the LT position because that is only a band aid on the thing......

 

Best case scenario......Wang either wins the LT spot outright or takes it over later in the year and plays servicable.....and then we lock that position down with a dominant player the following draft (you dont get them in free agency)

 

The other good "problem" to have is this team does well enough that it takes us out of the running for the top QB..

[Spiderweb]

nice analysis. I agree with pretty much all your points. I think the "tough" thing for us as fans is that the new regime is actually taking the approach that we've needed for years. They're blowing it up. In this draft they identified the areas of weakness that they thought could be improved upon the most in this particular draft. They didn't panic and draft a qb that wasn't worthy of the pick just because we "need" one. I will admit though, I'm troubled the OT position wasn't addressed until late. Seems like that Nix & Co. are ready to do a complete overhaul over the next few years to get this team back to being competitive. Even though it may take a couple years, I'd rather have that core built up instead of trying to make some new gimmick the new hope for the playoffs (ie:TO, no huddle, etc.)

 

53 man rosters cannot be overhauled with 7 draft choices (sure we had 9, 2 - 6ths and 2 - 7ths), but this change to a 3-4 meant the Bills had to have some new meat. Once this direction was taken, it meant clearly that the focus would be here and with that, I cannot disagree.

[kota]

All i know is that Chris Johnson changed everything for the Titans. It wasn't Hayensworth, Young, or Kerry Collins.

[dollarcoin]

All i know is that Chris Johnson changed everything for the Titans. It wasn't Hayensworth, Young, or Kerry Collins.

 

what are you even trying to say? that chris johnson ruined their franchise?

 

in 2007 the titans made the playoffs. that offseason they drafted johnson. in 2008 collins had a solid season and johnson was a rookie seeing somewhat limited action. on the back of a great defense and solid qb play they went 13-3 and made the playoffs again. in 2009 johnson had a record setting season and the titans missed the playoffs.

[dollarcoin]

also, of COURSE the offense will be a joke

 

if you think otherwise you are delusional or stupid

 

2009 ypg rank - 30th

2008 - 25

2007 - 30

2006 - 30

2005 - 28

2004 - 25

2003 - 30

 

no, seriously guys, this year will be different! lolololol

 

spiller is a great talent but he will have no line and no passing attack to help him. there's a big difference between running wild over coastal carolina and the new york jets.

 

here's a little secret - good offenses have good qbs

[CosmicBills]

what are you even trying to say? that chris johnson ruined their franchise?

 

in 2007 the titans made the playoffs. that offseason they drafted johnson. in 2008 collins had a solid season and johnson was a rookie seeing somewhat limited action. on the back of a great defense and solid qb play they went 13-3 and made the playoffs again. in 2009 johnson had a record setting season and the titans missed the playoffs.

Shhh. Don't bring logic into this. The lemmings see a fancy new toy and think, "he's Chris Johnson! Yay!"

 

I wonder what they thought when we spent 1st rounders on Antwain Smith. Then a high second rounder on Travis Henry. Another first on Willis and then, not more than 2 years ago, the number 11 pick on Lynch.

 

How did all those first round RBs work out for us? ... Right. 0 playoff games in a decade.

 

RBs are the most overrated players on the field in the modern NFL. You no longer need a superstar running back to win games. All you need are 2 serviceable backs. Like the two already on our roster (who are actually well above serviceable). And spending even MORE cap money on a first round RB, let alone wasting a high pick on one when there are multiple holes on the roster is just proof that this front office is the same as the last two regimes.

 

But Spiller is "fast". And a "home run threat".

 

Awesome.

[Virgil]

Shhh. Don't bring logic into this. The lemmings see a fancy new toy and think, "he's Chris Johnson! Yay!"

 

I wonder what they thought when we spent 1st rounders on Antwain Smith. Then a high second rounder on Travis Henry. Another first on Willis and then, not more than 2 years ago, the number 11 pick on Lynch.

 

How did all those first round RBs work out for us? ... Right. 0 playoff games in a decade.

 

RBs are the most overrated players on the field in the modern NFL. You no longer need a superstar running back to win games. All you need are 2 serviceable backs. Like the two already on our roster (who are actually well above serviceable). And spending even MORE cap money on a first round RB, let alone wasting a high pick on one when there are multiple holes on the roster is just proof that this front office is the same as the last two regimes.

 

But Spiller is "fast". And a "home run threat".

 

Awesome.

 

Excellent points. If you think about it from a truly basic mentality. If you have a strong defense, which I think we will have, you put yourself in a lot of close games. With that, does anyone expect to win a game if we are down late and need to score with less than 2 minutes cause we have a "dynamic" runningback?

 

Actually, now that I think about it, it was the perfect Bills pick. Nix and Gailey have guaranteed us close losses.

[Webster Guy]

What an awesome point! Mel....hmmm.. I think he is good at running a diner but definitly not a draft!

 

Unless Claussen becomes a top 10 QB in the next few years. If he does, then Kiper will definitely come out smelling like a rose.