If Coples is there at 10 we take him over Upshaw, And Ingraam.

[K-9]

Unless a higher rated player falls and if he is still there, then Coples is the pick if they stay at 10. Prototypical 43 DE and he'll be playing next to a great player in either Williams or Dareus depending on where he lines up. If he has motivational issues, that will become readily apparent in his preparation for the combine.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[BADOLBILZ]

Hey Badol, I have to think that the guy in SD pushing for the big trades was AJ (or A-Jerk, as you called him). Say what you will about him, but the guy is willing to gamble. He's the reason why Flutie ended up in Buffalo - he was his main (only?) advocate when they got him from the CFL. In retrospect, I suspect that Wilson's order to play Johnson in the playoff game against TN may well have contributed to the extreme bitterness between Wilson and AJ, although AJ's loyalty to Butler may have played a role.

 

Good points about Nix. I don't think he has it in him to make moves, but maybe he has the fear of God now. I kinda doubt it because I don't think he's dreading retirement. In fact, I think that while he likes the job, he could take it or leave it. He'd prefer to take it because he clearly loves the game and the culture, but if he had to retire he wouldn't be sad and/or desperate to get back in (unlike, say, Jerry Colangelo).

 

 

Bill, I know that I'm throwing raw meat before a starving dog, but if the Bills have the chance to take Claiborne over an average LT, you've gotta make that pick. The Bills defense is horrible, and good cornerbacks are incredibly valuable. It's why they go high. He won't be there, which makes this an academic discussion. But the Bills main problem for the past two seasons has been their absolutely terrible pass defense. And this is a team with two solid safeties! If there were a surefire DE to take, I'd of course advocate taking him. I don't think one will be there, however.

 

As for LT, why not overpay a tad and keep Bell? He's pretty talented and can play at a reasonably high level (when healthy, of course).

 

I think Nix is competitive enough that he is uncomfortable with being a failure. I think the fact that he went awol publicly when the Bills hit the skids this season and came out sounding like he felt the pressure after the season speaks to how much the losing bothered him. Some might see it as him not caring but i kinda' doubt that.

 

As for Claiborne......I certainly hope not. If you are a gm and your team has drafted 20 db's in 40 years.....and you've not only never won a SB......but have had the high percentage of losing seasons that the Bills have had......I think you think THRICE about perpetuating the cycle of building a team by the shell.

 

Find a way to get value at long term, key positions. You do that by drafting players that you will feel the NEED to re-sign when they become a free agent.

 

What kind of player is that. Well, if it's not a QB the simple answer is that big athletes are in short supply. Small ones are not.

 

The Bills are living proof that there is always another #1 corner or top safety to be had in round 1. And they are also living proof that you can't build teams around them. It's easy to look at the Bills and say.......Nick Barnett isn't bad, Kelvin Shepard might be OK, Alex Carrington might become a good DE........the truth is that the Bills front 7 is not special. Putting another corner out there isn't going to give Tom Brady any less time to dissect that defense. It's a complete waste of frosting.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Very fair evaluations of Coples-Ingram-Upshaw-Curry!

Thanks Astro

[mob16151]

You all see how high Bunting had Brockers going in his latest mock draft?

[JohnC]

I take what Buddy Nix says with a grain of salt. When he was in SD the Chargers traded the top pick in the draft to Atlanta so the Falcons could take Vick and they then drafted LaDanian Tomlinson and Drew Brees with the picks. Then they traded the just-drafted Eli Manning for Phillip Rivers and picks.

 

There is a history of draft day trades in his SD background.

 

The wheeling and dealing activity originated with Butler/A.J.Smith. I realize that he was associated with the Chargers but I don't believe that he was the one pulling the trigger on those deals and maneuvers.

 

Personally, I think it's less that he doesn't believe in trades than that he is not comfortable wheeling and dealing. But we shall see. Closed mouths don't get fed and Buddy needs to eat soon or it's over for he and Chan.

 

Excellent observation. The analogy I have used before is that Nix is more of a checkers player than a chess player. As you noted he has a restricted comfortat zone and he is staying within his tight box. For some people knowing your limitations and working within them is not necessarily a bad thing. With respect to the draft if you make your picks count on an individual basis you can eventually work your way out of the morass of mediocrity. Sometimes walking in a straight line will get you to your destination faster than running a circuitous route.

 

IMO his attitude has changed from a smug overconfidence the past two offseasons to a realization that he really hadn't done enough and there was catching up to do. Donahoe went thru the same thing and a spending spree in free agency ensued. It was too little, too late for Gregg Williams though. Another 6-10 and Chan can kiss the baby too.

 

To be fair to Buddy when he took over the Bills were closer to having an expansion caliber of roster than being a serious team. His initial bluster was the standard inflated bravado given to the impatient and gullible fanbase that most new football executives spout. The reality is that the roster is being dramatically rebuilt. Nix might not be the brightest person in the room but he has enough football sense to recognize that for what he was getting into there was not going to be a quick fix, especially in a Ralph Wilson run business venture.

[JPS]

We won't be doomed if we have 2 great CB's.

 

1 Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska

2 Ronnell Lewis OLB43 Oklahoma

3 Kendall Reyes DE34 Connecticut

4 Michael Egnew TE Missouri

4 George Iloka FS Boise State

5 Nicolas Jean-Baptiste DT34 Baylor

6 DeVier Posey WRF Ohio State

6 Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin

7 Greg Childs WRF Arkansas

Yuk!

DB is not going to happen in the 1st round. And what did Russell Wilson show to indicate he should be drafted at all? I want 3 positions: Linebacker/Outside pass rusher, inside pass rusher and offensive tackle. Now that they are a 4-3, they need more DTs. Everything else...you're kidding yourselves.

[Turbosrrgood]

So I watched th Senior Bowl game. Not a huge College Football guy, but since this draft is so important for the Bills (Heck they all are) I figured I'd DVR it and watch when the kiddies were in bed. Coples if he can play like he did in the gamne MUST be our pick. There was nothing he couldn't do. He can line up at LDE, RDE and NT if needed. Seconf place (using the bowl game as my only indicator) was Ingram. He was also a force, but Upshaw wasn't heard from much. I also like that kid Vinny Curry. Apparently, I am reading that most scouts leave before Thursday's practice as the game itself with its limits on schemes isn't a good gauge. Well, that may be so, but from what I saw Coples is the guy we should take.

 

Thoughts, comments, opinions?

 

 

Tim-

 

I wouldn't be upset if we took Coples. Now that the 4-3 is our scheme, I would say it's a long shot that the FO is even considering Upshaw at 10. Ingram, Coples, OT, or WR is probably their focus IMO. Personally I think Ingram might be the guy we need. It seems like the consensus is that Coples will likely be gone before we pick anyway.

Edited January 31, 2012 by Turbosrrgood