FWIW Bill Polian wasn't too keen on part of our draft.

[Tipster19]

if watkins blows up he's worth it

 

he he doesn't then he's not

 

Well said sir. That folks will be the only determination if this trade up was worth it, any other speculations by the pundits is just lip service and this won't be known until we see just how well Sammy plays.

[Bufcomments]

I think Watkins was worth it.

 

It's really on EJ to get him the rock.

 

I have a wait and see attitude about the season. We shall find out soon enough. Lots of "ifs" but if it plays out right we could be on our way.

 

But I like what Whaley has done so far.

[Derelichte]

Hey folks, my name is Derek from Rochester, NY, first time poster here. I've been following TBD for about three years now, I find it has the most up-to-date information on the Bills on the web, by the best fan base on the planet! I've been a Bills fan for most of my life, although my father is an avid Cleveland Browns fan. My good friends are members of the Bills Army who tailgate at drive 5, and my college roommate is the dude who dresses up like Hogan and wrestles atop the Army bus. Living with them at SUNY Fredonia really helped to make the Bills a huge part of my life. I wanted to say thank you for all of the useful information and for being fans of such a roller coaster franchise in an amazing city that is Buffalo!

 

 

Back to the topic, I feel that all that matters is Whaley and co. are right about whom they drafted. These draft pundits from Kiper to Polian have spent a fraction of time studying players that Buffalo invested hundreds of hours into. Based on last year's draft, from Kiko to Robey, the Bills have proven that they have a good nose for talent.

[coseybedaman]

A few things: 1- Belittling Polian on a Bills board borders on blasphemy if not just plain ignorance. In the 50+ year history of this franchise, there were only TWO sustained periods of excellence, Polian was responsible for one of those. In addition, the guy has been NFL executive of the year 6 times and has had success with 3 different franchises. 2- The Watkins trade, comes down to Watkins play, but more importantly whether EJ is the guy or not. MOST outsiders believe he has yet to prove he is the guy, thereby concluding the Bills are not "close"; if EJ turns out to be the guy, than the trade might work and might be worth the cost, however, even in that scenario, staying at 9 and selecting Beckham might in the end prove to be the better move. In other words, the deck is stacked against this trade being a good one and I think that's what the vast majority of analysts are voicing. Love the player, hate the trade.

.

The problem with staying at 9 was that they already knew Stevie Johnson was on his way out. So you draft Odell Beckham and you are stuck with the same problem we have had for years. A roster full of #2 and #3 WRs, but still no #1. The bills now have that true number 1. The only player in this draft that could've filled that need from day 1 was Sammy.

[hondo in seattle]

I still think that only if Watkins turns into a perennial Pro Bowler, the trade was worth it. Otherwise, we spent two first round picks to acquire one first round talent. Very high price, indeed.

 

But it's also obvious what Whaley is up to - build a team around EJ. Stevie is an odd talent who doesn't always run routes as designed. EJ didn't exhibit any chemistry with SJ while Watkins - with his RAC ability - is someone who will make EJ look good.

 

If EJ, Watkins, Woods, Goodwin, etc all live up to their potential - and if Hackett can figure out how to use CJ correctly - this could be a very potent offense for years to come. I don't see Whaley working on a WIN NOW solution (perhaps worried about the ownership change). I see him collect a bunch of young guys who can, cross our fingers, win for several years.

 

Hey folks, my name is Derek from Rochester, NY, first time poster here. I've been following TBD for about three years now, I find it has the most up-to-date information on the Bills on the web, by the best fan base on the planet! I've been a Bills fan for most of my life, although my father is an avid Cleveland Browns fan. My good friends are members of the Bills Army who tailgate at drive 5, and my college roommate is the dude who dresses up like Hogan and wrestles atop the Army bus. Living with them at SUNY Fredonia really helped to make the Bills a huge part of my life. I wanted to say thank you for all of the useful information and for being fans of such a roller coaster franchise in an amazing city that is Buffalo!

 

 

Back to the topic, I feel that all that matters is Whaley and co. are right about whom they drafted. These draft pundits from Kiper to Polian have spent a fraction of time studying players that Buffalo invested hundreds of hours into. Based on last year's draft, from Kiko to Robey, the Bills have proven that they have a good nose for talent.

 

Welcome to the club!

[Rubes]

Gotta disagree about that 1987 roster. If you look at the roster of that 1987 7-8 team, you can see that the team was almost there, that there were very few holes after they got Bennett.

 

Offensive starters: Kelly, Ronnie Harmon, FB Carl Byrum, WRs Reed and Burkett, TE Metzelaars, LT Wolford, LG Ritcher, C Kent Hull, RG Vogler and RT Devlin. That's impressive outside FB (and who cares, really), and RB.

 

Defensive starters: LDE Sean McNanie (the weak link), Smerlas, Bruce, Biscuit, Conlan, RILB Radecic, Talley, CBs Derrick Burroughs and Nate Odomes, and safeties Dwight Drane and Kelso.

 

They were almost there. And Kelly was in his second year and fourth or fifth as a pro, unlike EJ.

 

Let's not let hindsight get too much in the way. Remember, at the time of the trade, the Bills were 3-3 (in a strike year, FWIW) after finishing the previous year 4-12. At best, you're talking about a mediocre team, which, in the end, they turned out to be with a final record of 7-8.

 

Yes, there was a lot of talent on that team. But at the time, many of them hadn't hit their stride yet. Harmon turned out to be decent, but unreliable. Burkett never panned out. Metzelaars, at the time, had only had one decent season as a starter. Bruce was only in his third season, and was just beginning to tap his potential. Radecic, Burroughs, Drane...those guys were talented, but average starters.

 

They had definitely assembled a team that seemed poised to make a move, but they hadn't made that move yet. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who, at the time of the trade, believed the Bills were one impact defensive playmaker from hitting the big time. The jury was still out on many of their draft picks and new acquisitions. The one thing you could definitely say is that they were set at QB, which is a big thing, but this was by no means a team that most people thought was one player away.

[KOKBILLS]

Let's not let hindsight get too much in the way. Remember, at the time of the trade, the Bills were 3-3 (in a strike year, FWIW) after finishing the previous year 4-12. At best, you're talking about a mediocre team, which, in the end, they turned out to be with a final record of 7-8.

 

Yes, there was a lot of talent on that team. But at the time, many of them hadn't hit their stride yet. Harmon turned out to be decent, but unreliable. Burkett never panned out. Metzelaars, at the time, had only had one decent season as a starter. Bruce was only in his third season, and was just beginning to tap his potential. Radecic, Burroughs, Drane...those guys were talented, but average starters.

 

They had definitely assembled a team that seemed poised to make a move, but they hadn't made that move yet. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who, at the time of the trade, believed the Bills were one impact defensive playmaker from hitting the big time. The jury was still out on many of their draft picks and new acquisitions. The one thing you could definitely say is that they were set at QB, which is a big thing, but this was by no means a team that most people thought was one player away.

 

Exactly...

 

Like I wrote in my previous post it was much more the sum of the whole 87 class, then the Thurman Thomas pick in 88, that officially catapulted the Bills...Biscuit was a big piece no question...But they hit a grand slam in that 87 Draft, Bennett or no Bennett...