ektin Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 nothing groundbreaking, Says Aaron Williams flopped as CB and moved to safety, Graham is so good the Bills used 2nd and 3rd round picks on WR, Shepherd was given away. Says Gilmore and Dareus could be talented building blocks if Dareus plays up to potential, Manuel and Woods are beginnings of a nice youth movement and Cordy Glenn played a lot better than expected at LT. No mention of FB Drew Smith from right here in Guilderland NY though:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 nothing groundbreaking, Says Aaron Williams flopped as CB and moved to safety, Graham is so good the Bills used 2nd and 3rd round picks on WR, Shepherd was given away. Says Gilmore and Dareus could be talented building blocks if Dareus plays up to potential, Manuel and Woods are beginnings of a nice youth movement and Cordy Glenn played a lot better than expected at LT. No mention of FB Drew Smith from right here in Guilderland NY though:-) Can you post it? I can't believe they are that bad. If that's the case, we would be doomed for another decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxy312 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 ESPN Insider is irrelevant. Go back and look at their predictions for every season or their so called "rankings" of talent, and you'll see that they're completely wrong most years. Denver was supposed to compete for their division, but certainly not have the best record in the AFC. Green Bay was the odds on favorite to win the most games in the NFC and barely won their division. Washington was supposed to be the worst team in their division and yet won it. Insider is a joke to me. Gave away Sheppard? That's ridiculous. They traded a guy that can play just one position for a guy (Hughes) that can play 3 and fits what Pettine is trying to do defensively much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
first_and_ten Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 ESPN Insider is irrelevant. Go back and look at their predictions for every season or their so called "rankings" of talent, and you'll see that they're completely wrong most years. Denver was supposed to compete for their division, but certainly not have the best record in the AFC. Green Bay was the odds on favorite to win the most games in the NFC and barely won their division. Washington was supposed to be the worst team in their division and yet won it. Insider is a joke to me. Gave away Sheppard? That's ridiculous. They traded a guy that can play just one position for a guy (Hughes) that can play 3 and fits what Pettine is trying to do defensively much better. Thanks for the reality check Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 ESPN Insider is irrelevant. Go back and look at their predictions for every season or their so called "rankings" of talent, and you'll see that they're completely wrong most years. Denver was supposed to compete for their division, but certainly not have the best record in the AFC. Green Bay was the odds on favorite to win the most games in the NFC and barely won their division. Washington was supposed to be the worst team in their division and yet won it. Insider is a joke to me. Gave away Sheppard? That's ridiculous. They traded a guy that can play just one position for a guy (Hughes) that can play 3 and fits what Pettine is trying to do defensively much better. Oh, I know they're irrelevant, and their opinion doesn't matter one iota. I just like it anytime the Bills are talked about and get a cheap thrill out of it. How dare you keep me from my fun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Can you post it? I can't believe they are that bad. If that's the case, we would be doomed for another decade. just that unproven. if EJ remotely looks like a qb, we are suddenly top 10 in under 25 talent... currently though we have a team that underachieved last year, and rookies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1B4IDie Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The Pats at #9 is crazy talk. Nate Solder is not anywhere near a Pro Bowl Tackle. He lets a lot of pressure on Brady. The Pats are more like 29. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The Pats at #9 is crazy talk. Nate Solder is not anywhere near a Pro Bowl Tackle. He lets a lot of pressure on Brady. The Pats are more like 29. Its the Pats. Did you think they would be ranked out of the top 10 on ESPN in anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) Bills talent is not going to get any accolades until the team wins. The press will continue to be negative. The team hasn't made the playoffs in thirteen years, can't expect that a lot of positive press will be thrown the Bills way. I think the Bills have Gilmore, Dareus, Glenn, Hairston, Bradham, Searcy and this years rookies as really good under 25 building blocks.....Spiller will be 26 in August.... Edited July 24, 2013 by JoeF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxy312 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 just that unproven. if EJ remotely looks like a qb, we are suddenly top 10 in under 25 talent... currently though we have a team that underachieved last year, and rookies. This in a nutshell. The self proclaimed experts are still mad that the Bills didn't pick Geno Smith or Matt Barkley with their first round selection. The Patriots being ranked higher actually makes sense to me. Let's just look at some of the guys they've drafted just in the last 4 years. Gronkowski, McCourty, Ridley, Mayo, Jones, Hightower, Chung. They factually do have a lot of young guys and they're playing well. Hey, but I still hate the Patriots more than you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Bills talent is not going to get any accolades until the team wins. The press will continue to be negative. The team hasn't made the playoffs in thirteen years, can expect that a lot of positive press will be thrown the Bills way. When you're talking about young players though, it stands to reason, those who picked higher should have better talent than those "successful" teams picking lower year after year. We're talking about potential, not stars who have already arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 nothing groundbreaking, Says Aaron Williams flopped as CB and moved to safety, Graham is so good the Bills used 2nd and 3rd round picks on WR, Shepherd was given away. Says Gilmore and Dareus could be talented building blocks if Dareus plays up to potential, Manuel and Woods are beginnings of a nice youth movement and Cordy Glenn played a lot better than expected at LT. How can anyone argue with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) When you're talking about young players though, it stands to reason, those who picked higher should have better talent than those "successful" teams picking lower year after year. We're talking about potential, not stars who have already arrived. I agree to a point but this is increasingly becoming a league where young players get opportunities early in their career (QBs last two years for example--Luck, Griffin, Locker, Tannehill, Wilson, Ponder, Kapernick, Weedon, Dalton--that's over a 1/4 of the league with first or second year starters at the key position)...its a combination of the cap and escalating vet minimums and other factors. So there is more on the field evaluation for these young players than in the past I believe. So the potential vs actual production continuum is swinging a bit toward production in my view. This is a great trend for the Bills by the way-- because a team can turn it around quick if they draft well.. Edited July 24, 2013 by JoeF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxy312 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 When you're talking about young players though, it stands to reason, those who picked higher should have better talent than those "successful" teams picking lower year after year. We're talking about potential, not stars who have already arrived. Not really. They're talking about guys drafted this year, but also about young players recently drafted. If that were not the case, they wouldn't have mentioned Sheppard. In that context, the Bills don't really have guys that have performed as well as some other teams. Potential, sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark80 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 ESPN Insider is irrelevant. Go back and look at their predictions for every season or their so called "rankings" of talent, and you'll see that they're completely wrong most years. Denver was supposed to compete for their division, but certainly not have the best record in the AFC. Green Bay was the odds on favorite to win the most games in the NFC and barely won their division. Washington was supposed to be the worst team in their division and yet won it. Insider is a joke to me. Gave away Sheppard? That's ridiculous. They traded a guy that can play just one position for a guy (Hughes) that can play 3 and fits what Pettine is trying to do defensively much better. There, fixed it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Northern Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The team sucks at drafting and lacks a well-devised strategy for building a team. The under-25 category is largely players between 2010 and 2012. They hit on Spiller in 2010 and everything else is either total garbage or marginal NFL talent. Maybe Dareus salvages his career, but are there any genuine stars likely to emerge from the rest of the 2011 class? Maybe Gilmore and Glenn work out, but did either of them show the flashes of a genuine stars like Richard Sherman Trent Williams in their rookie years? Of course, given the success of the 2009 draft, maybe the Bills are better off when they miss in the draft since they are unwilling to meet the contract demands of excellent players and are then forced to use draft picks to plug holes created when those players leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) The team sucks at drafting and lacks a well-devised strategy for building a team. The under-25 category is largely players between 2010 and 2012. They hit on Spiller in 2010 and everything else is either total garbage or marginal NFL talent. Maybe Dareus salvages his career, but are there any genuine stars likely to emerge from the rest of the 2011 class? Maybe Gilmore and Glenn work out, but did either of them show the flashes of a genuine stars like Richard Sherman Trent Williams in their rookie years? Of course, given the success of the 2009 draft, maybe the Bills are better off when they miss in the draft since they are unwilling to meet the contract demands of excellent players and are then forced to use draft picks to plug holes created when those players leave. I would like to be saying a lot this year....."I didn't know x player was that good" or "I didn't know x player could do that.".. The best thing that can happen is that there is talent that was just not put in a position to make plays. Hope and $5 gets me an overpriced latte...but I still have hope. Edited July 24, 2013 by JoeF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The team sucks at drafting and lacks a well-devised strategy for building a team. The under-25 category is largely players between 2010 and 2012. They hit on Spiller in 2010 and everything else is either total garbage or marginal NFL talent. spiller is already 25, which also adds to the "oh, sure, the ranking makes sense in context" idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JESSEFEFFER Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The Bills have invested mostly in their defense in the last 4 drafts and their poor defensive rankings = generally poor opinions on their overall talent. The collective opinion on Gillmore, Dareus, Carrington, Troupe, Bradham, Alonso, Searcy, 2 Williams, Bradham, Brooks, etc. are tied directly to that. If Mike Pettine can do what Wade Phillips did with the Texan's defense, the consensus opinions on the Bills' young talent and NIx's drafts will swing dramatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Not really. They're talking about guys drafted this year, but also about young players recently drafted. If that were not the case, they wouldn't have mentioned Sheppard. In that context, the Bills don't really have guys that have performed as well as some other teams. Potential, sure. They're talking about the last few years of drafting correct? Most people say you cannot judge a draft until the third year. They are talking about potential of the drafts of the last few years and if they will eventually become impact players. That's how I interpret w/o being able to see the actual article. Ergo, if the Bills are drafting higher because they suck year after year, they should be high on the list of potential playoff contenders in the next few years. The fact that we are so low, does not bode well for us because it means they don't think we're good enough now, and they don't think we will be anytime soon. At least that's how I take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxy312 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Regardless of the rankings (which are subjective at best), I'm relatively happy with the Bills draft for the last 3 years. Let's face it, when they took Gilmore, everyone thought they should have selected Dre Kirkpatrick. Gilmore has been more productive than Morris Claiborne, and covers the #1 receiver on the field every single play. What's not to like about him? Dareus had 5.5 sacks again in his second year with the team, but suffered a tragic loss of a family member. I'm happy the guy could even suit up and be on the field. I would like to see more this year, but wouldn't call him a bust or a marginal talent. His numbers are not far off of Suh, who many would consider the best at the position. Glenn was a steal in the second round. Despite being a rookie and being picked so late, he started every game last season at LT. The Bills gave up some of the lowest sack numbers of any team. Searcy and Bradham aren't stars, but weren't expected to be based on being picked in the 4th round. They are starters though. With the first 4 picks in each of the last 3 years, they have 4 guys that look to be really good (Gilmore, Glenn, Dareus, Spiller) and another 3-4 that will likely be starters or see decent playing time (Bradham, Searcy, Williams, Carrington). I say 3-4, because I do think Williams could wash out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Regardless of the rankings (which are subjective at best), I'm relatively happy with the Bills draft for the last 3 years. Let's face it, when they took Gilmore, everyone thought they should have selected Dre Kirkpatrick. Gilmore has been more productive than Morris Claiborne, and covers the #1 receiver on the field every single play. What's not to like about him? Dareus had 5.5 sacks again in his second year with the team, but suffered a tragic loss of a family member. I'm happy the guy could even suit up and be on the field. I would like to see more this year, but wouldn't call him a bust or a marginal talent. His numbers are not far off of Suh, who many would consider the best at the position. Glenn was a steal in the second round. Despite being a rookie and being picked so late, he started every game last season at LT. The Bills gave up some of the lowest sack numbers of any team. Searcy and Bradham aren't stars, but weren't expected to be based on being picked in the 4th round. They are starters though. With the first 4 picks in each of the last 3 years, they have 4 guys that look to be really good (Gilmore, Glenn, Dareus, Spiller) and another 3-4 that will likely be starters or see decent playing time (Bradham, Searcy, Williams, Carrington). I say 3-4, because I do think Williams could wash out. I will agree that it is highly subjective, and these opinions in the grand scheme of things do not matter. Lets see how it shakes out on the field. Go Bills!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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