dave mcbride Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 "Nothing is a lock in sports, but drafting a cornerback first, then a wide receiver, has put the odds in Buffalo's favor. The Bills top two picks were CB Leodis McKelvin of Troy and WR James Hardy of Indiana. Last season, 61 percent of the starting corners in the NFL were first-round picks compared to just 24 percent for receivers. The odds of finding a starting wide receiver in the second round were better (27.2 percent) according to a league-wide roster analysis by the Bills." http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/BUF/10894687 I gotta say, that's a pretty amazing stat about CBs. Bill from NYC -- you listening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go_bills Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 One can only hope this stat rings true for us. By the early look of it, it just might. Needless to say, I loved those two selections. I actually wanted Hardy in round one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 "Nothing is a lock in sports, but drafting a cornerback first, then a wide receiver, has put the odds in Buffalo's favor. The Bills top two picks were CB Leodis McKelvin of Troy and WR James Hardy of Indiana. Last season, 61 percent of the starting corners in the NFL were first-round picks compared to just 24 percent for receivers. The odds of finding a starting wide receiver in the second round were better (27.2 percent) according to a league-wide roster analysis by the Bills." http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/BUF/10894687 I gotta say, that's a pretty amazing stat about CBs. Bill from NYC -- you listening? The problem isn't so much having a 1st round CB. The problem is being a farm team that drafts 1st round CBs, developing them from a college player to a quality NFL starter, and then letting them walk out of the building because the team won't pay the going freight. In short, it's not the player that is the problem, it is the revolving door that just keeps on twirling away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 The problem isn't so much having a 1st round CB. The problem is being a farm team that drafts 1st round CBs, developing them from a college player to a quality NFL starter, and then letting them walk out of the building because the team won't pay the going freight. In short, it's not the player that is the problem, it is the revolving door that just keeps on twirling away. I'm not justifying the pick (or condemning it). I'm simply amazed at the NBA-like dominance of first rounders at the position. 61% is pretty incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I'm not justifying the pick (or condemning it). I'm simply amazed at the NBA-like dominance of first rounders at the position. 61% is pretty incredible. Indeed. Sort of tarnishes the claim that a good defense can be had with scrub corners, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go_bills Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 The problem isn't so much having a 1st round CB. The problem is being a farm team that drafts 1st round CBs, developing them from a college player to a quality NFL starter, and then letting them walk out of the building because the team won't pay the going freight. In short, it's not the player that is the problem, it is the revolving door that just keeps on twirling away. You're absolutely right. We've had fantastic success drafting CBs. But once their rookie contracts were up and they emerged as bona fide stars, they bolted for big money bad teams. We lost Winfield and Clements. Could you imagine if we still had these guys? My God, we would be a passing offences worst nightmare. It certainly is frustrating watching homegrown talent leave without getting anything in return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNW_Bills_Fan Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 You're absolutely right. We've had fantastic success drafting CBs. But once their rookie contracts were up and they emerged as bona fide stars, they bolted for big money bad teams. We lost Winfield and Clements. Could you imagine if we still had these guys? My God, we would be a passing offences worst nightmare. It certainly is frustrating watching homegrown talent leave without getting anything in return. We wouldsuck of we had them both because we could not afford anyone else. Not to mention we have done well making up for the loss of both of them. I am not even sure LM even starts this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 "Nothing is a lock in sports, but drafting a cornerback first, then a wide receiver, has put the odds in Buffalo's favor. The Bills top two picks were CB Leodis McKelvin of Troy and WR James Hardy of Indiana. Last season, 61 percent of the starting corners in the NFL were first-round picks compared to just 24 percent for receivers. The odds of finding a starting wide receiver in the second round were better (27.2 percent) according to a league-wide roster analysis by the Bills." http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/BUF/10894687 I gotta say, that's a pretty amazing stat about CBs. Bill from NYC -- you listening? OK, why didn't Parcells draft McKelvin? Let me have a stab at that question.....because teams are built up front? In 06, the Bills had 2 weak lines and focused on defensive backs. We have drafted 6 dbs in the first 4 rounds in 06 and 08 alone, including a #8 and a #11. And, we brought in a few free agents. Did it work? Whitner has a million tackles, most of them after sizeable gains. Our DL looks improved but it is thin at DT, and on offense, we need depth at Guard as well as any Center at all. That's OK, because we have an army of little dbs, right? I hope this works in games like the ones last year against Cleveland and the giants. Think it will? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 OK, why didn't Parcells draft McKelvin? Let me have a stab at that question.....because teams are built up front? In 06, the Bills had 2 weak lines and focused on defensive backs. We have drafted 6 dbs in the first 4 rounds in 06 and 08 alone, including a #8 and a #11. And, we brought in a few free agents. Did it work? Whitner has a million tackles, most of them after sizeable gains. Our DL looks improved but it is thin at DT, and on offense, we need depth at Guard as well as any Center at all. That's OK, because we have an army of little dbs, right? I hope this works in games like the ones last year against Cleveland and the giants. Think it will? Thin at Defensive Tackle? You kidding? Stroud, McCargo, Williams, and Johnson make that position one of the ones that has the most depth on the team. All four of those guys are going to play well and contribute IMO. And theres no way in hell we were going guard or center at #11 unless Branden Albert slipped, which didn't happen. So your argument makes little sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thin at Defensive Tackle? You kidding? Stroud, McCargo, Williams, and Johnson make that position one of the ones that has the most depth on the team. All four of those guys are going to play well and contribute IMO. And theres no way in hell we were going guard or center at #11 unless Branden Albert slipped, which didn't happen. So your argument makes little sense to me. Albert was drafted by the Chiefs at #15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thin at Defensive Tackle? You kidding? Stroud, McCargo, Williams, and Johnson make that position one of the ones that has the most depth on the team. All four of those guys are going to play well and contribute IMO. And theres no way in hell we were going guard or center at #11 unless Branden Albert slipped, which didn't happen. So your argument makes little sense to me. This is the same mentality that we all had last season at DE with Schobel, Kelsay, Denney, and Hargrove. Within a matter of a few weeks, DE became a position of weakness and the likes of Al Wallace and Copeland Bryan became the depth. On paper, DT looks strong, and while team depth looks solid, the Bills are very still a very young team. Particularly at LB, CB, and S on defense. Being conservative with the cap is a fine fiscal policy, but ultimately not one that always gives coaches the benefit of decent depth. Our OL is a perfect example, specifically the tackle position after Peters and Walker. There, the drop-off in talent is precipitous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKC Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thin at Defensive Tackle? You kidding? Stroud, McCargo, Williams, and Johnson make that position one of the ones that has the most depth on the team. All four of those guys are going to play well and contribute IMO. Don't let me discourage that Fantasy Football thinking, but in the 2008 NFL we're hardly competitive with the good teams at the position. As long as offenses are reducing the length of their passing games, quality and depth at DT will continue to become more and more important. In some of our opinions, it's already become the most important position in the NFL, and based on the drafting records of the best teams there's no secret among them about how to build a winner. But then again there will always be the Matt Millen types who think adding an aging and declining-for-years DT plus a 275 pound sub who hasn't sacked anyone since the first month of the 2007 season could all of a sudden magically transform one of the worst D interiors in football to among the elite. The fact is we're razor-thin at DT when compared to the better competition, and that's assuming Stroud plays far better than he has over the past three seasons. Seem like a pretty sizable "wish sandwich" to this fan of the Buffalo Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whites Bay Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 The problem isn't so much having a 1st round CB. The problem is being a farm team that drafts 1st round CBs, developing them from a college player to a quality NFL starter, and then letting them walk out of the building because the team won't pay the going freight. In short, it's not the player that is the problem, it is the revolving door that just keeps on twirling away. No. That's crap, and I'm calling you on it. Enough of this! Riddle me this, Batman - where's Asante Samuel playing today? Even if he wasn't a first-round pick (and I have better things to do with my time than to figure it out), he was a franchise-level player, and he was playing for a team with.....oh.....$5.00 extra dollars in their savings account that COULD have spent that $5.00 on his paltry salary demands. Look, a top-flight player in today's league is going to laser-lock on the "cha-ching", and I can't blame them. And it doesn't matter whether you're playing for a "farm team", or whether you're playing for the World Chumps*. Stop whipping the front office for mistakes that aren't mistakes. This same thread exists on 31 other bulletin boards. Enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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