thewildrabbit

Ohh a cold dose of reality....and truth. Anyway, obviously Miami thinks Chad Henne can progress to a higher level, lets not forget that normally it takes a good 3-4 years for rookie QB's to fully develop. Their season will depend on how well their QB does, it also helps that the guy is in the same system. I thought they would play better then they did last season with Brandon Marshall at WR. But yea it would really suck if they go 1-15 and get Andrew Luck I take no delight in Buffalo finishing 3rd in the division, call me crazy but if this team is going 8-8 this year ....I'd rather see them lose more and get that franchise QB next draft http://walterfootbal...m/draft2012.php ""If the Bills actually draft a quarterback in the top five, hell will freeze over. But then again, this is 2012. Leave it to Buffalo to finally acquire a franchise quarterback when the world's about to end. ""

I'll work on it, hows this... At least CJ Spiller is a 100 yard rusher in his first year, he almost made the blow bowl like Maybin and McCargo did this year.

Ahhh I'll never forget the game in which both Lynch and Jackson each rushed for 100 yards against the Dolphins in Miami...sweet memories. I say that because I find myself troubled by this GM-HC and its getting tougher and tougher to post positive things about this new staff. So I wanted to open with something positive.This GM and HC went into last years draft and stated the O line was a "priority", then proceeded to draft 5th & 7th round projects, the 7th was cut in preseason, this year they both Nix & Gailey state the team needs a RT and then they draft a 4th round project. C.J. Spiller drafted 9th by the Bills last season under Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey and he was supposed to make the O line block better, he was named the starting RB to open the season but he only gained 26 carries for 122 yards ALL YEAR with no injury!, WTH happened?. At least Lynch and McGahee became starters, once healthy McGahee rushed for 1128-1247 yards in 04-05. Lynch ran for 1115-1036 yards in 07-08 I look at the Donte Whitner pick and he was ranked as the 56th rated player in that draft,( late 2nd rounder) so to tab him with the 8th pick in the first was a really long reach, a go go gadget reach. But the guy started and has remained the starter and done a decent job at cleaning up all the missed tackles by the players in front of him. Was it his fault Jauron reached for him because the Bills were desperate since they had just cut S Lawyer Milloy? Why did they cut Milloy to begin with, the guy has still started for Atlanta and Seattle the last 5 years. Grass is always greener? NFN but I'm still waiting for one player drafted by Gaily-Nix to become a starter and make an impact ...I have no doubt Darius will do both, but the guy practically fell in their lap. Lets not forget the fact that both Nix and Nevergiveup stated that Cam Newton was at the top of their board with Darius. So Carolina and Denver spared Buffalo from another 3 year QB project. As bad as Modrak was, at least most of his first round picks became starters and did pretty well. The team did regress under Gailey in almost every area except passing offense, and while Gailey gets most of the credit for that, Fitz had a lot to do with it. Gailey did fail with both Brohm and Edwards I Keep wondering when will this team put it all together again and be a good team in every facet, passing AND running, defense and special teams. amen Yea I agree, right now in my view its a toss up between John McCargo-Aaron Maybin-CJ Spiller as the worst #1 pick. But I'm hoping CJ learns the playbook and has a good year in 2011

I'd rather see Buffalo sign T.O. again then the tweeter kid .... all that guy has done the last few years is cry about everything....his coach...his teammates... his QB...his contract... the NFL fining him for his stunts...all he does is cause a distraction. Anyway, no way would he even contemplate coming to Buffalo, he wants on a team with a winning record that is close to getting to the SB.

What you need to realize is that the Bengals owner is more stubborn and hardheaded then RW ever was, he would rather let Palmer retire then trade him away. This owner in no way will ever be forced into doing anything by a player, he didn't let Chad Johnson aka Chad Ochocincho go either. Johnson who demanded a trade a few years ago was denied and all he did was whine about it. The Bengals were even offered a first round draft pick for the guy and turned it down. Right now all the Bengals have at QB is Jordan Palmer, Carson's younger brother, who has very little game experience. That rookie QB Andy Dalton might turn out to be a really good NFL QB but i highly doubt he starts simply because the HC Marvin Lewis sat Carson Palmer his first year when he was first drafted as a rookie. Bottom line is Paul Brown will either let Palmer retire or return as a Bengal, no way they trade him to any team. Buffalo doesn't want Palmer or his 10 million dollar salary, they want someone who has game exp and who will come cheap

Palmer didn't play very well last year, Fitzy out played him, Fitz IS the starter! The Bills want a serviceable backup QB with game experience and not some rookie or ex star that wants to start and get paid 10 million a year,...so that leaves out Matt Hasselbeck also Kerry Collins might be the guy, Rex Grossman-Billy Volek-Chad Pennington, all URFA's

Buffalo tries to get by with some glue and cardboard instead of addressing the real issues on the O line by drafting some tackles early, clearly the GM is gambling. Both Langston Walker RT & Derrick Dockery LG are both still better at their positions then anyone currently on the Bills roster, (If Wood stays at center) they were both let go by Buffalo in a cost cutting move, IMO. Walker was let go by Jauron two weeks before the opener because he couldn't get to the line fast enough to run the no huddle offense, which the team scrapped 3 weeks into the season. If Fitz gets a serious injury in the pre season or early in the season this team is screwed for 2011, I suppose that is what it will take to finally wake up this HC and GM enough to finally fix the line. I still don't see this team as having a decent running game this up coming season, not with this O line, not with just Fred Jackson taking on the full load. Things could really get scary if both Fred Jackson AND Fitz get hurt. What is Nix supposed to say, our O line will stink this year... but we will try and fix it in next years draft. Another thought is perhaps they just want to get that first overall pick next year to draft Mr Luck

My only question is why did it take ten years...I would have fired the guy right along with Tom Donahoe for that Mike Williams pick

So is JP Losman.... The Bills need an experienced BACK UP, not some 1-2 year guy still learning his job. Imagine the Bills suddenly becoming good enough to make a run for the playoffs and Fitz gets knocked out for a few games. Tyler Thigpin RFA-Chad pennington UFRA

Not to pee in your cheerios.... Why because Marcel Darius is replacing Marcus Stroud, and someone else is replacing Whitner, if that someone else is already on the team.... why then wasn't he starting ahead of Whitner if he is better? Rookies are supposed to made a bigger impact then the starters from last year. Did one player start from last years draft... on one of the worst Bills defense ever fielded, the Bills were desperate for help at RT and that #5 OT from last year never saw the field as a starter. The Bills continue to have have one of the worst Offensive lines in the NFL and Fitz was able to make that O line look better then it was against average teams, but against the good teams he was running for his life most of the game. This current Bills team is still lacking about 6-8 players from being a decent team that can actually contend for a playoff spot. Whether the Bills got better on defense remains to be seen, just because they were drafted doesn't mean they can start and make an impact, see last years draft. Fitz was injured and out for one game last year and the year before, and the team still lacks a decent RT & G. Right now the Bills only have Levi Brown as back up QB. Spiller could turn out to be a completely useless pick if he doesn't learn the playbook, he didn't know it last year and that was why he spent most of the season on the bench I think I'll wait until pre season is over....if there ever is a season this year... until I make any predictions

I agree. Edwards did try and get the ball out as quick as he could, hence all the checking down. Lets not forget that he was in Turk Schonerts- AVP's offense with with some deep passing plays called (5-7 step drops and no time to throw) and his receivers not getting open or being in touch with the QB.Plus having crappy O lines that didn't allow a QB to have more then 3 seconds to deliver the ball. Pretty tough to throw a 7 step drop back pass in 3 seconds, AVP & Schonert never did figure that out. I used to watch Josh Reed run his route, the QB looking directly at Reed... the DB slips by Reed and starts heading to the QB on a dog... Josh Reed keeps looking straight ahead and never even bothers to see if the DB is still with him or not, a total complete failure on a hot read. What a worthless WR to have....kind of amazed he stayed with the Bills for as long as he did. Looking back to DJ's teams and their lack of offensive ingenuity I'm surprised they won as many games as they did. I look at teams like Green Bay- Baltimore-Pittsburgh and see them draft for the O line (LT-RT)in the first round all the time. Is it that difficult for the Bills FO to understand that the best offensive line players the Bills have obtained in the last few year were the #1 & #2 draft picks they used on Levitre and Wood,both guards! Now, if only they would draft some tackles in the first and second the Bills might have a decent O line at some point, plus a first rounder on a TE wouldn't hurt either.

I did back-flips when Jauron fired Turk Schonert...then I did more back flips when Jauron was fired and replaced by Perry Fewell...just wish they had kept Fewell for another year Now I'm doing back flips again, best news I've heard since, since .... Darius was selected #3 by the Buffalo Bills Keep fighting the good fight Buddy!

When Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys first took the field he couldn't block worth a damn, and he was told by Tom Landry we can get anybody to run the ball, if you can't block you are worthless.There was talk he wasn't smart enough to assimilate the playbook. It took the guy awhile but he finally got it and became a top RB. That still holds true for today's RB's even tho its a passing league, a RB needs to be the whole package now. Run routes and know the entire WR tree, know blocking protections, know the O line blocking protections, know how to utilize his blockers....this is why they go to college.... Now I have to question.... is this the coaches inability to teach this kid his job, or the players inability to learn.... because if its the latter it should have been noted by the scouts he had a learning disability.

Huge difference between Ponder and Newton, it still bugs me that the Bills had Can Newton up there with Darius....but then again perhaps that was all that was needed to provoke the Panthers to pick Newton. Some strong hunch I have tells me people will start calling that #1 overall pick "Cash" Newton after this next season I looked at Ponder as one of the top 2 QB's in this draft, the other was Jake Locker as this kid is burning to be great

Probably to see what kind of reports the guy turned in.... he was taking bribes from the Patriots to insure that the Bills drafted crap players.... how else could anyone make so many bad choices for so long!

ABOUT EFFING TIME!!!! Finally Buddy Nix steps up!!

I'd have to say Fitz needs only moderate protection at this point, but last year he didn't get much help at all from the RT position so in some games he was getting very minimal protection and running for his life( Jets game comes to mind). Had the Bills filled that one spot with a decent player the entire season could have been different. Sadly the Bills still haven't filled it with a decent RT as of yet. The 4th from this year looks to be another project much like last years 5th (Wang). What also helps a QB is a decent running game along with play action to keep the opposing defense honest. Last season Buffalo was pretty much a one dimensional passing offense. Now consider if Fred Jackson ever gets a serious injury the Bills will have no running game whatsoever. The Bills need to improve the running game and actually make those 3rd and short at the goal line running the ball with an elephant offense. Chan Gailey loves his passing offense, but it was the dominate running game of the Ravens that beat the Patriots in that 09 AFC wild-card playoff game in New England. That game was basically a perfect blueprint on how to beat this teams biggest nemesis and it seems to have gone completely unnoticed by anyone at OBD. I'd have to say the Bills improved their pass rush and run defense with this draft, exactly how much remains to be seen considering Darius simply replaces Marcus Stroud who wasn't really that bad. The team will also lose Whitner to free agency ,so again it remains to be seen if the team does get better on defense with a different starting safety and Kelsay - Merriman on the outside. While upgrading the defense and almost ignoring the O line / run game... Its as if the Bills have a plan to be bad enough this year to be in position to draft that elite "franchise" QB next year

Not with the current O line as it is, Fitz played very well and was very lucky to escape the rush so many times last season, and if you look back at the last two years he has been knocked out for a game each year. The Bills need to find a RT worth a damn, a TE that can block and be a deep threat, and more depth on that line. Spiller needs to learn how to block, find holes and run his routes so he can even make the field. The defense needs to stop the run It remains to be seen if any of the players drafted this year actually make an impact, besides Darius

16 games

To the OP, you are citing the two hardest positions in the NFL to fill ....a great QB and great pass rusher. Lets face it every team in the NFL wants an Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews as very few teams have either. Rodgers is an exceptional QB with pinpoint accuracy and an amazing ability to escape the opposing pass rush, but he wasn't able to do that all year as he was concussed against Detroit. That lone concussion could have been severe and caused him to miss more then the one game, what happens then, GB doesn't even make the playoffs much less win the SB. I think GB realized they need to protect their super star QB better if they want to make a return trip to the SB, and drafted for more O line help, an OT-WR-RB with their first 3 picks. Kinda makes you think about why GB drafted a WR with that 2nd round draft pick as they already have an amazing WR corps, and a brilliant young TE who as hurt most of last year. You mentioned that GB didn't have a great ground game, they could run the ball, they just weren't dominate at doing it. So as good as that offense was they spent their first 3 draft picks on improving it. Now look back at the team that won the SB the year before in the NO Saints, this year they weren't as balanced on offense due to RB injuries and were forced to have Drew Brees shoulder more of the offensive load, he ended up throwing more INT's and the team didn't win as much. You cite a great QB and pass rusher, I think its more that you need a balanced offense and good a defense overall. Granted a great pass rush is important but it can be more then one lone player, the Saints and NY Giants can bring pressure from their front four, plus blitzing the LB's or DB's. Looking at how far Buffalo is from have a good defense that can bring pressure from the front four and also blitz with a LB or DB. Then having a balanced offense that can make a 3rd down running or throwing when needed. There is no doubt the Bills are STILL lacking many many players in almost every area, about the only solid area on the current team is the kickers. Buffalo still needs an top talent on the O line- RT-LT-G and a dominate TE that can block and be a deep threat.They are still lacking a good backup RB that can both block and find the hole, and a back up QB that has some game experience. Consider GB's receiving corps vs Buffalo's, are you kidding me...The Bills have somewhat decent receivers in Evans-Parrish-Johnson, Lee Evans doesn't catch many balls for being the premier WR, no TE, one RB who is older for RB's a scrub RT, and an average LT who gets beat when it counts the most. Plus, I'm not sold on on either Shawn Merriman or Chris Kelsay being a dominate OLB's, nor am I sold on both DE's. Bottom line: the Bills need to be smart and aggressive in free agency when it opens and also with the un drafted players. I can't stress enough how important it is for Buffalo to fix that O line, find a TE and back up QB & RB, then perhaps a OLB and DE in free agency. If the Bills can keep Fitz upright and healthy and not running for his life every play and fix the run defense they might just win more then they lose. Lotta stuff to fix if they are gonna try and do it just by the draft, then consider not one player is starting from last years draft on a really bad 4-12 team. If the Bills fail to beef up the O line and Fitz gets a serious injury early...Andrew Luck here we come!

You are assuming that the Bills can now actually evaluate talent properly considering the last decade of drafting failure...lets not forget that not one player from last years draft became a starter. Then consider the fact that when asked what would have happened if Darius was gone when Buffalo picked, Buddy Nix stated they would have looked longer at Blane Gabbert. I'm ecstatic that Darius fell to the Bills the way he did AND the fact that they had him at the top of the board along with Cam Newton After ten years of drafting futility Big D might be that proverbial acorn the blind squirrel finds.

Mike Mayock called him " a beast" , best player in the draft

Judging by the way this staff graded draftees and brought in free agents last year, I would hope they have a better plan this year. The Bills still need a tight end and right tackle that is worth a damn, could use another top guard if Wood stays at center. Plus they still need help in the pass rush area and a decent backup QB to Fitz as I doubt Levi Brown can handle a start.

It wasn't just Carolina passing on Darius, it was Denver passing on him also.... as Nevergiveup stated that Newton / Darius were at the top of Buffalos draft board. Which means had Denver taken Darius the Bills might have drafted Blane Gabbert or who knows who they had rated as the highest rated player. All I can say is we should all be happy that Darius fell to Buffalo so the team couldn't make its normally #1 first round boneheaded choice. Spiller-Maybin-McCargo-JP Losman I don't really know if Newton will be a bust or not, all I do know is that kid is going to take 2-3 years to develop and he would have gotten killed behind Buffalo's still horrid O line.

Your right, this point has been beaten to death...and you can blame one set of coaches, one GM, one scout, the only real constant though the last decade has been the lead scout Tom Modrak, and owner RW who has hired all the GM's, HC's, scouts ETC. First of all, understand that the team sucked before Marv Levy got there, it sucked during the time he was there, and it sucked after he left.... it still sucks....it actually got worse after Jauron left. If you want to talk black holes for the past decade, lets look at who was doing the scouting and directing the GM-HC to whatever particular players they brought in, free agents- draftees-walk-ons. When a GM or HC is hired, and the scouting staff is already in place he basically has to go by what his scouts tell him is a good player. The GM's and coaches don't go out in the field and judge the talent, they go by what the highly paid professional scouts tell them. Ya know what, I look at last years draft and don't see one freaking player who became a starter on a horridly bad 4-12 team with one of the worst defenses in Buffalo Bills history Not only that, what happened to the #1 pick RB who was supposed to make the O line block better and instead he became a liability on the field because he couldn't block at all. The Bills went into last years draft with the O line as a "priority" and came away with a 5th and 7th rounder. The 7th was cut in preseason and the 5th rounder (Wang) never saw the field despite the Bills being desperate for stability at RT all last season. This year both Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey declare they need a right tackle, and yet draft another project in the 4th round. What does that have to say about whats changed in the scouting department, HC, GM? This years draft "might" have been different, and here is why I hope that, for starters I believe that GM Buddy Nix trusted his scouts last year(the same crappy scouts that have been with the Bills for 10 years) when they told him that RT Cornell Green was a good player who could fill that role as a starter. So Buddy went and got him and signed him for 3 million dollars... much to his chagrin. Stating that, I highly doubt Buddy Nix trusts any of the scouting reports he gets from the Bills scouts anymore, and does his own research, watches film, and grades the players himself. The only thing that scares me tho is that after reading what Nix stated about Cam Newton and also what Nevergiveup posted about Newton is that the Bills were ready to draft him in that #3 spot if Carolina passed on him. Ngu stated the Bills have both Newton and Darius at the top of their boards The Bills boneheaded draft move was taken away from them when Carolina drafted Cam Newton, and Denver selected Von Miller. Marcel Darius being there at #3 was about the best thing that could have happened to the Buffalo Bills this past decade. So lets wait and see what players actually make the team and become starters before we glow to much about the future.