LGB Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Things have got to be on the upswing now as miss-fired #1 Bills picks have been fired from the team. There are only four first-rounders left on the team (the more recent draft picks by the Bills): Leodis McKelvin (2008), Eric Wood (2009), C.J. Spiller (2010) and Marcell Dareus (2011) 9 of Buffalo's last 13 first-rounders selected are now no longer with the team: Nate Clements, Mike Williams, Willis McGahee, Lee Evans, J.P. Losman, Donte Whitner, John McCargo, Marshawn Lynch and Aaron Maybin. Sure, some damage has been done, but the bleeding should come to an end (less some salary cap hits) and the Bills should now be moving onward and upward. Go Bills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homey D. Clown Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 we're waaay below the cap, it would be more attributed to the short-arm, deep pocketed owner when we lose more talent. Right now though, there isn't any talent to lose, literally the entire roster needs to prove its-self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 we're waaay below the cap, it would be more attributed to the short-arm, deep pocketed owner when we lose more talent. Right now though, there isn't any talent to lose, literally the entire roster needs to prove its-self. I never really thought about it that way before, but you are right. The only proven "star" on the entire team is trying to come back from years of injuries and the taint of roid use. Hopefully they play like a team with a chip on their shoulder this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 we're waaay below the cap, it would be more attributed to the short-arm, deep pocketed owner when we lose more talent. Right now though, there isn't any talent to lose, literally the entire roster needs to prove its-self. Big time. If the Bills are serious about not signing free agents, not trading for players, and not trading down, then they need to spend heavily on scouting, because their 7 picks need to be a lot better than everyone else's 7 picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Things have got to be on the upswing now as miss-fired #1 Bills picks have been fired from the team. There are only four first-rounders left on the team (the more recent draft picks by the Bills): Leodis McKelvin (2008), Eric Wood (2009), C.J. Spiller (2010) and Marcell Dareus (2011) 9 of Buffalo's last 13 first-rounders selected are now no longer with the team: Nate Clements, Mike Williams, Willis McGahee, Lee Evans, J.P. Losman, Donte Whitner, John McCargo, Marshawn Lynch and Aaron Maybin. Sure, some damage has been done, but the bleeding should come to an end (less some salary cap hits) and the Bills should now be moving onward and upward. Go Bills! Aside from Spiller and Dareus, none of those picks were made by the Nix/Gailey regime so you can't blame them that they didn't work out and use it against the "Building through the draft" method they said they were going to use. And besides Nate Clements who priced himself out of Buffalo, the rest of the guys (except for maybe Lee) were being run out of town by the fans because they weren't good enough for them.Should Nix and Gailey pay to keep those players around just because they were drafted by the team? problem with building through the draft, it takes time and patience, something bills fans are in short supply of. It made harder if you miss on players, But when it works, the rewards are much greater because the winning is usually not short lived (like building through FA). Its not a quick fix, its usually a long term solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Big time. If the Bills are serious about not signing free agents, not trading for players, and not trading down, then they need to spend heavily on scouting, because their 7 picks need to be a lot better than everyone else's 7 picks. Exactly. The Bills need to use Free Agency to bring in guys ala Shawne Merriman. But we need more, younger guys on the upside who have been on playoff teams to help bring leadership when the going gets tough. It's hard to foster the young guys when they have no one there to help mentor them along. That's where Buddy and Chan are fooling themselves. There is no way those 7 picks are gonna be all pros. At This rate if everthing pans out with the draft picks and I mean they're dead on, We might get to the playoffs in 2015 if we're lucky... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Exactly. The Bills need to use Free Agency to bring in guys ala Shawne Merriman. But we need more, younger guys on the upside who have been on playoff teams to help bring leadership when the going gets tough. It's hard to foster the young guys when they have no one there to help mentor them along. That's where Buddy and Chan are fooling themselves. There is no way those 7 picks are gonna be all pros. At This rate if everthing pans out with the draft picks and I mean they're dead on, We might get to the playoffs in 2015 if we're lucky... And the other factor is that you have to re-sign 100% of your good draft picks. They only get 3-5 year deals (counting the options on 1st-rounders), so building through the draft is useless if you let any of them walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGB Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 we're waaay below the cap, it would be more attributed to the short-arm, deep pocketed owner when we lose more talent. Right now though, there isn't any talent to lose, literally the entire roster needs to prove its-self. This team has had few superstars recently...I remember when the late blooming Moulds was the best player on the field and then McGee stood out for a while...Moorman might have been the most recognized (he has been on the field quite a bit during his tenure with the Bills). Maybe Dareus will be a star...I really hope so. All the Bills need to do this year is break .500 then move onward and upward to the playoffs. Go CHIX! Go Bills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scraps Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 And the other factor is that you have to re-sign 100% of your good draft picks. They only get 3-5 year deals (counting the options on 1st-rounders), so building through the draft is useless if you let any of them walk. Oh stop taking away the excuses for a never ending rebuilding season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristocrat Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 We have a good core of players right now it seems and with one more good draft we can be a real competitive team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefenseWins Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Big time. If the Bills are serious about not signing free agents, not trading for players, and not trading down, then they need to spend heavily on scouting, because their 7 picks need to be a lot better than everyone else's 7 picks. And how many of Buddy's picks from last year are currently starting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsMagic1 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 And how many of Buddy's picks from last year are currently starting? Is it "0"??? And the other factor is that you have to re-sign 100% of your good draft picks. They only get 3-5 year deals (counting the options on 1st-rounders), so building through the draft is useless if you let any of them walk. This has been a problem. We never re-sign good ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 And the other factor is that you have to re-sign 100% of your good draft picks. They only get 3-5 year deals (counting the options on 1st-rounders), so building through the draft is useless if you let any of them walk. Marv and Nix have echoed a sentiment that you draft them and then keep them. The Bills didn't retain Clements, didn't re-sign Peters, didn't keep Posluszny, traded Lynch, traded Evans, allowed Fletcher to walk, traded Spikes, allowed Greer out in UFA, etc. Now, they weren't going to keep all of those guys for various reasons, but it seems like there's always something for why a player just has to go. And then they go and re-sign Kelsay who cannot play their defense of choice. The roster isn't bereft of talent, but it's not top half of the NFL. At some point they start the first part of the equation, which is draft guys that are good and earn a second contract. Dareus is a start, but as you note, contracts are 3-5 years and unless your hitting on all of your 1st-3rd round picks with a late round guy thrown in, you'd better anticipate your better players to get them re-signed. Aside from Kyle Williams and Steve Johnson, I'm not sure they have any that fit the profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Things have got to be on the upswing now as miss-fired #1 Bills picks have been fired from the team. Is this newspeak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGB Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Marv and Nix have echoed a sentiment that you draft them and then keep them. The Bills didn't retain Clements, didn't re-sign Peters, didn't keep Posluszny, traded Lynch, traded Evans, allowed Fletcher to walk, traded Spikes, allowed Greer out in UFA, etc. Now, they weren't going to keep all of those guys for various reasons, but it seems like there's always something for why a player just has to go. And then they go and re-sign Kelsay who cannot play their defense of choice. The roster isn't bereft of talent, but it's not top half of the NFL. At some point they start the first part of the equation, which is draft guys that are good and earn a second contract. Dareus is a start, but as you note, contracts are 3-5 years and unless your hitting on all of your 1st-3rd round picks with a late round guy thrown in, you'd better anticipate your better players to get them re-signed. Aside from Kyle Williams and Steve Johnson, I'm not sure they have any that fit the profile. If this team has any chance of turning things around, it has to start with good players and coaches. I don't care if the Bills blew 9 of their last 13 top picks - if they now have coaches and scouts that can get the job done. This includes someone savvy on game days who can find a way to win with the talent available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 1/3 of Nix's 2010 draft class (Wang, Calloway, and Brown) will soon be off of the Bills' roster. Another 1/3 (Spiller, Troup, and Carrington) severely underperfomed as rookies, although a good case can be made that Carrington came on at the end of the year. Easley and Batten were injured last year, which is bad luck, but both figure to have roles this year. Moats was the ONLY impact player from the 2010 draft class on the field last year. In his 2 drafts as GM - 18 selections - Nix has drafted only 3 offensive linemen. 2 of them (Wang and Calloway) cannot play in the NFL. The jury is still out on Hairston. I have yet to see this "build through the draft" strategy be implemented successfully by Nix & Co. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 problem with building through the draft is you only get a certain amount of picks each year so you need to hit on just about every one of them especially your top picks we all know the bills are not going to spend big in free agency but holes can filled there with second level players but the Bills refuse to go that route for the most part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Nick Barnett was GB's #1 pick in 2003 - when we took Willus McGagme Shawne Merriman was SD's #1 pick in 2005 when we had no # one Craig "Buster" Davis was SD's#1 pick in 2007 when we took Marshmallow Lynch Build through our draft - or somebody else's. The thing is - find and keep football players. Buddy's better at it than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 1/3 of Nix's 2010 draft class (Wang, Calloway, and Brown) will soon be off of the Bills' roster. Another 1/3 (Spiller, Troup, and Carrington) severely underperfomed as rookies, although a good case can be made that Carrington came on at the end of the year. Easley and Batten were injured last year, which is bad luck, but both figure to have roles this year. Moats was the ONLY impact player from the 2010 draft class on the field last year. In his 2 drafts as GM - 18 selections - Nix has drafted only 3 offensive linemen. 2 of them (Wang and Calloway) cannot play in the NFL. The jury is still out on Hairston. I have yet to see this "build through the draft" strategy be implemented successfully by Nix & Co. Although I'm sure that after a couple weeks of training camp and one preseason game you can already determine that hairston is a bust because he isn't starting yet How have you not been hired by the bills to evaluate talent yet, you could save them tons of cash if you can already prove after 1 year, that Wang and Calloway cannot play in the NFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 problem with building through the draft, it takes time and patience, something bills fans any Fan of any Profession Team are in short supply of. Fixed that for you... "Bills" Fans are no less patient than any other Fans...In fact, based on recent history, it could be argued they are more patient... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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