Teams are built through the draft....

[Thoner7]

Actually, given our last few drafts we have built a pile of crap through the draft...That being said the draft is just one of the processes we need to build a quality team. Also we don't build a team through "next year's" draft. We do it through "this year's" draft. This year's draft so far isn't exactly crying out as the beginning of a rebuild.

 

Which is why we should trade for a McNiel or Mankins.

 

Probowl calliber players at positions of major need. We cannot afford to give up our first rounder (hope for a QB) but we could afford to lose a 2nd or 3rd+ a late rounder or two. Before anyone says "but we need those picks to rebuild" those picks will not result in a player of the same caliber that Mankins of McNiel are at currently. 2nd and 3rds result in Hardys/Youbotys/Carringtons(who hasnt been active yet). Hell, recently the Bills best second rounders have been Schobel and Byrd. Both Mankins and McNiel are as good as those players at their respective positions, if not better. Getting players like those two will hepl us rebuild a whole hell of a lot more than an unknown rookie.

[Geno Smith's Arm]

Which is why we should trade for a McNiel or Mankins.

 

Probowl calliber players at positions of major need. We cannot afford to give up our first rounder (hope for a QB) but we could afford to lose a 2nd or 3rd+ a late rounder or two. Before anyone says "but we need those picks to rebuild" those picks will not result in a player of the same caliber that Mankins of McNiel are at currently. 2nd and 3rds result in Hardys/Youbotys/Carringtons(who hasnt been active yet). Hell, recently the Bills best second rounders have been Schobel and Byrd. Both Mankins and McNiel are as good as those players at their respective positions, if not better. Getting players like those two will hepl us rebuild a whole hell of a lot more than an unknown rookie.

 

How do you know they didn't try to trade for those players?

[Orton's Arm]

I'd agree with building through the draft with everything excpet QB. Nothing worng there with building through the draft, but QB more than any position seems ot be more failures than sucesses. So having said that, I'd be fine with bringing in some established guy there. It's been proven you can win with a Trent Dilfer and an exceptional team around him. Does that mean I think Fitz can be that guy? Maybe, but would prefer someone with a bit stronger arm and you build an exceptional team.

 

I wouldn't be too upset if the Bills drafted a LT, OLB and DE next year and signed a mid level QB instead of taking chance on drafting one. I think you could improve quicker that way. Drafting QB's is very risky. I also can't imagine RW being willing to pay the going rate for a 1st round QB. All 1st rounders are expensive, but for QB's the price goes up. Maybe a rookie wage scale by next year will solve that issue?

It's very rare for a first-rate QB in the prime of his career to hit free agency. Of the good QBs currently in the NFL, the only one I can think of who was signed as a free agent was Drew Brees. (Favre no longer counts, because he's clearly on his last legs.) Every other quarterback at or near that level was drafted: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, etc.

 

You point out the risk in taking a quarterback. But other draft positions are risky too. The last time the Bills used a top-10 pick on an offensive lineman, they came away with Mike Williams. The last time they used a top-10 pick on a defensive back, they got Donte Whitner. And the last time they used a top-15 pick on a defensive front-7 player, they came away with Aaron Maybin. You're always going to have risk with your first round draft pick, no matter which position you choose to address.

 

You could argue that, while all positions involve risk, drafting a quarterback involves more risk than most other positions. I don't know whether that's true--I'd have to see the data. But even if it is, getting a franchise quarterback represents a larger reward than successfully filling any other position. If the Colts were to trade away Peyton Manning, how much non-quarterback talent do you think they'd need to acquire to achieve the same W/L record they would have had with Manning? Do you think that a good SS (as Whitner was supposed to have been) would be enough? No? How about two or three players--a TE, a LB, and a SS?

 

Let's say (for the sake of argument) that a non-QB first round pick has a 50% chance of succeeding; whereas a QB first rounder has only a 25% chance of success. If that was the case, you'd expect to have to use two first rounders on some non-QB hole. One on a guy that's a bust, the other on the guy who succeeds. Filling a hole at QB would be twice as expensive: you'd require four first rounders (on average) to fill the position. But those would be picks well-spent, because getting a franchise QB is more than twice as important as filling your average non-QB hole. (That said, it would really surprise me if first round QBs were only half as likely to succeed as non-QBs.)

[Buffalo Barbarian]

In reality, or to people that can accept reality, watching/reading/listening to everything that has gone down with the Bills in the past few weeks/months truely confirms that the only true way to build a francise it through the draft. I know I may be stating the obivous, but as I continue to read peoples posts and comments it seems as if other teams baggage is quickly deemed the "savior". This goes as far as "the QB situtation being solved with Fitz". The guy has been in the league 6 years and been on 3 seperate teams (2 years in B-LO). If he was to be an every day starter on a regular basis in the NFL he would have been there by now and would have beaten out his competition not slid in by default

 

The Bills are truely 2-4 years away from being a Playoff contender, especailly being in the AFC East. This is reality. We need to have confidence in Gailey and Nix and need to understand that players such as EVANS, JACKSON, McGHEE, STROUD even KELSAY wont be around when the Bills truly become a playoff contender. If this means letting Vets go (Mitchell) or trading away players such as the ones above for picks or youth so be it. I am a believer in Evans and dont feel that we have seen his true potential but at this point I dont believe you ever will in Buffalo so why not get him to a team that could use a good WR for a 2nd round pick. He is going to be 30 next year. Face it, the Bills are rebuilding, starting from scratch. Save LYNCH, trade JACKSON...lynch is 5 years younger. Everyone is sick of getting rid of the "talent" but when the talent wont be there to help you in 2, 3, 4 years whats the difference?

 

Anyway, enough with the ORTON for LYNCH....enough of the Castoffs are the Saviors...only time, good drafts and good player development within is what will cure the BILLS

 

 

Have you seen the Jets or patriots ? they made all kinds of trades to get to where they are ,we should too. I wouldn't do Lynch for Orton But Bulaga or Tewbow in heart beat.