PushthePile

1. Qb - I've seen enough of Trent to say he is our best option. I've also seen enough of Trent to realize he's still a long way from being a good Qb. This fanbase hasn't seen a competent Qb in a long time, and I have severe doubts we have one now. This isn't the absolute weakest position, but by a longshot the most important. 2. Defensive Philosophy - This defense doesn't make plays. The strategy seems to be very conservative. They play like a boxer who avoids contact at all costs. A guy who is just satisfied to go the distance and not get knocked out. The Bills don't confuse or create any pressure for their opponents. Sacks, turnovers, and big stops on third down are a rarity. Whether you believe this philosophy is due to scheme or being handcuffed by a horrific offense, it's clearly not ideal. To steal a line from Herm Edwards "you play to win the game". They play like they are terrified of getting blownout. 3. Lines - This team doesn't have a guarantee on either line. I know anyone can be injured but most teams can pencil in a few names and feel good about positive expectations. I think Stroud is the closest thing to that on the Bills and he is always an injury risk. Who else is a known commodity? I feel good about the potential of few names but that is hit or miss. IMO, both units are dangerously thin as well. I don't blame this FO either. Dockery and Kelsay were both a huge waste of money and Peters just didn't want to be here. The team brought in four good young players and we will see how that translates onto the field this year. 4. Lbs - The bottom line is this unit is painfully average. IMO, Mitchell is the only Lb that has a shred of playmaking ability and don't be confused it is only a shred. At this point I give the benefit of the doubt to Poz. I do think he can develop into a nice reliable player. He has the potential to be the workhorse of the defense and a player like Fletcher or Spielman is very important. Unfortunately, he is not there yet and his lack of explosiveness is just magnified by the whole units troubles. The third Lb isn't really known right now. If it ends up being Pisa, I believe the starting three would be much improved from last year. If it that position is filled from the current roster, the unit will struggle. Unless of course a longshot comes through (Bowen, Harris, Thomas).

I can honestly say that most Sundays I walked away from the Bills game thinking he was the most consistent linemen of the day. I'm really suprised at the number of posters who felt he was terrible last season. I'll stick with my opinion on Butler but it goes to show you o-line anlysis is hardly an exact science.

That E-gun reference was my creation. I was a young Bills fan during the glory years and always assumed it was for Kelly. Did you remeber correctly? What is the significance of K to the TE? Thanks to anyone who can answer this.

His contract isn't evidence for the amount of interest he generated. The guy was a backup for a pretty good o-line in Carolina. I think it's obvious he wasn't going to break the bank with a monster contract. The Bills got him for four years at 10 million. Do we know that a handful of other teams weren't in the mix? That is a decent salary for a starting center.

He was ahead of the entire NFL for sacks allowed last year. Butler has improved each season and has become a solid starter.

Why stop with 09 grades? I'm dying to know how good our o-line will be in 2010 and 2012.

What a suprise! Are you sure the Bills should even suit up for a game Spartacus? LT- In order for Walker to be much worse he's going to have to set the season record for sacks allowed. I know you Peter pumpers like to completely disregard this statistic, but anyone with a shred of honesty will see it as a reference point to his play lasy year. They are comparable in run blocking as well. LG- It's really up in the air for predicting how a rookie will play. IMO, we got rid of another guy who shows up for a paycheck. I never felt like Dockery wanted to be there. At least with the new kid we will get a little attitude and max effort. FWIW Dockery had his share of jailbreaks and mental lapses as well. All those sacks came from that left side folks. How far away are we going to push the blame away from Peters? C- The Bills have been flat out awful at this position for years. TSW experts will tell you Hangartner was not a sought after free agent, and therefore he can't be that good. They will also spell his name wrong because they have no clue who is. I'm always curious how people know exactly how much interest each free agent gets. I don't believe that the average fan has any clue who FAs talk to or what goes on within a franchises inner circles. It never seems to stop TSW goofs from using it as an arguing point though. RG- I believe this will be the most difficult position to pick a starter. We have a few capable players and someone will step up and win the position. It might be a dropoff because I felt Butler played consistently last year. RT- Butler has alot of experience at tackle. He's coming off his best season in the NFL. The Bills are asking him to take over the tackle position and I think he can. IMO, Butler is still improving. This line lacks alot of NFL experience and probowl trophies. I could care less. I see a hardworking player at each position. I'm glad we booted the divas for football players. The Bills for once have drafted the players I was convinced were bound for the Pats, Giants, or Steelers. I am more concerned with our depth, then the starters.

I agree with you. Every team in the NFL feeds it's fans a little preview in the offseason. Who knows if we even see any of these ideas used next season. This no-huddle talk isn't even a blip on any other teams radar. I'm guessing that Bellicheat is more concerned with how he is going to exploit our talented but inexperienced o-line. Trust me Bills fans he isn't designing a new fangled defense to stop our E-gun offense. Besides they have seen a no-huddle before.

I have to disagree with your post. After watching every snap last year, I think the team has the perfect blend of offense and defense. The defense is downright offensive and they have no defense for the offense. I can only watch so much of a poorly executed, flawed scheme. It only takes a few missed tackles and I'm anxious to get the offense back out on the field, to show what they can't do. A few checkdowns for no gain later, and I'm yearning for eight yard cushions again. Once the opponent scores, I am all giddy with the prospect of Lynch dancing his way to a 1 yard gain. On third and long Trent finds a well covered Fred Jackson five yards behind the LOS. The clock runs out as Jauron saves two timeouts for the second half.

I admit to not knowing a whole lot about Nelson. I hope you are right about what you see on film. This team hasn't had a duel threat TE in a long time. He is going to be a major factor in Trent's ability to be effective.

I didn't say that Hatton has no KO power. I said he is not a one punch KO guy, like you banked on with your bet. Most of his KOs have come from refs calling it based on volume of punches or opponents quitting. Take a look at the ridiculous number of wins he has were the guy doesn't get off his stool. The notion that Euro boxers are chumps is misguided American pride. At many points of boxing history I would say you have a point. In today's boxing world Euros are as good if not better than our fighters. Many of our champions have been pounded by Euro fighters as of late. Roy jones has made a career of avoiding Euro fighters. The heavyweight division is dominated by Euro fighters. Just because we aren't as familiar with the names doesn't mean they are inferior. If it wasn't for Pacman and Pretty Boy Floyd, no one would touch Ricky Hatton. These two fighters are far and away the best pound for pound fighters in the world. They are already cemented in all-time territory and are still building resumes. If we weren't lucky enough to witness the greatness of these guys, Hatton would be considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world. These are all just fan opinions and I respect yours as well. We can all agree that Hatton doesn't even belong in the same conversation as Pacman, Floyd, and other great fighters.

Again, I'm no Nic Harris expert but how does unnecessary roughness and personal fouls translate into physical play? It is actually a negative to lead the league in those categories. It usually means a player is undisciplined or is a cheap shot artist. Penalties are often given to the guy who is getting beat and has to resort to other tactics. I don't know enough about this player to have any real feeling about the pick. Unfortunately, I have read more negatives than positives at this point. Was Nic Harris a dominant safety in college? Is he athlectic enough to overcome moderate measurables? Is he instinctive enough to switch to LB?

I have read that Harris is not much of hitter. According to a few of the draft rags, the guy doesn't really like physical play. This is why some people don't think he will be able to switch to LB. I know these rags aren't the be all and end all of player analysis but the Sporting News usually seems alright. I admittedly never payed much attention to his play or even researched other articles about the kid. I don't doubt that you have reason to believe otherwise. The stuff I've read has actually discouraged me about the pick. I would love to hear or read something that supports the opposite.

I agree with you John, Oscar held his own in that fight. Of course PBF wasn't there to fight anyway. He will not be able to pitter patter and run against Pacman. I don't think anyone is quicker than Manny and he will force Floyd into a fight. Floyd would be best suited to go with a counter punch strategy, IMO. That is how Marquez had success against Manny, and Floyd would have a nice size advantage. The interesting part will be how Floyd deals with someone who will put serious pressure on him.

I agree with everything you say about Hatton. I do however think that he is/was one of the best boxers in the world. IMO, he should be remembered as a good, not great champion. He defeated alot of good fighters and one great fighter (Kosta Tszyu). Tszyu was older at the time but still heavily favored in the fight. Hatton has only two losses to his record and both came at the hands of the very best. He was never an elite talent and got exposed by the very best. I agree with your Marquez/Mayweather prediction. Floyd is just to big and to slick for Marquez, especially at the ripe old age of 35. Floyd has such a wonderful way of picking fights. IMO, the guy hasn't been in with a real serious threat yet. Floyd is about money and offers nothing for the fans. Why hasn't he fought Cotto or Sugar Shane? He won't be able to resist the big pay day that Manny will bring. Pacman would be the first real risk he has taken. The other guy who Floyd wants nothing to do with is Paul Williams. Pretty boy would never get into the ring with that animal. Boxing is so corrupt.

All your points about Ricky Hatton are flat out false. I wouldn't bet on boxing anymore if I were you. First off, Hatton is far from a one punch knock out artist. He has decent power but gets his knockouts from relentless pressure and overwhelming opponents. To think he was going to land a bomb and knock out Manny is bad logic, it's just not his style. You also said that he has never faced anyone really good. He knocked out both Kosta Tsyzu and Jose Louis Castillo. In addition to these opponents he has made his way through all of Europes best. He also beat Paulie Maignaggi, Juan Lazcano Vince Phillips,and Ben Tackie. His only losses are against Mayweather and Pacquiao. Mayweather is undefeated and one of the best fighters we have seen in a decade. He might be one of the best ever but his resume is a little soft. Did you watch the Hatton/Mayweather fight? Hatton didn't get whipped at all. He gave Mayweather the closest fight he has ever had. Prior to the seventh and eigth rounds it was up in the air who was winning. Mayweather also said that Ricky was by far his toughest opponent. You don't hear Floyd say things like that. Obviously the Pacquiao fight was a complete and total beat down. So what? Manny Pacquiao is going to be in the conversation for best fighter of all time before his career is done. Yes, ALL TIME. He has destroyed many great fighters and is fighting at his absolute peak. Just because Hatton lost to this great fighter doesn't make him a bum. No one in the world can beat him right now. Hatton whipped the number one contender in his fight prior to Pacquiao. He is the second best light welterweight in the world and the first best is Pacquiao. To say a 30 year old Hatton is passed is prime,is foolish. Ricky is in his prime and will never be able to beat Mayweather or Pacquiao. The only reason retirement is being contemplated is because he has no one to fight. He can't garner a mega fight anymore and he has all the money he needs. He isn't big on the tough training lifestyle and he has nothing left he can prove. Educated boxing fans will recognize him as a very very good fighter. The problem is that boxing barely has a pulse and casual fans don't get much information. You have to really put forth an effort to follow the sport. Did anyone hear about Jermain Taylor getting KOed last week? Anyway, thats my rant about Hatton. I don't mean to attack you Tone, but you were off a little bit. It's too bad boxing is a joke. We have something very special right now, with Pacquiao.

When you ask young Marines to go into a hostile situation and fight an enemy, showing the public we have best intentions is far from the goal. Especially when that same public is working with the enemy against you. I wasn't too interested in the politics of the war or building up a government for Iraq. In 05 things were still very chaotic and ultra-dangerous. If a shopkeeper loses his store because of an engagement and subsequent collateral damage, I feel bad for him. I don't however condone handing out cash in that situation. I'm sorry about the store and destroying public property is not the objective but unfortunately it is the consequences of war. If the United States isn't prepared to take the responsibility for that, then don't put the military in that position. Handing out cash to make good in the public eye, gets Americans killed. A large portion of that money is immediately turned into IEDs and weapons.

I did a deployment in Iraq and can only give an example of how this doesn't work. I was in India Co. 3/25 out of Buffalo and deployed in 05. I can remember at different times during our deployment we handed out money for collateral damage caused by Marines. We would go out on patrol and set up a defense somewhere near an area we messed up. A government official would literally start passing out money. A line would form and people would just start collecting. No questions, no investigation! All it took was, my car was destroyed. Sorry about that, here have a pile of money. My cart was blown up. Okay no problem, have a bag of money. A marine accidentally killed my daughter. Sorry to hear that, you get a big pile of money. Honestly, we had to have passed out millions over the deployment. Marines seem to have a knack for destroying things. Sorry if that offends anyone. On a sidenote: I made $26,000 as a corporal/sergeant. We would then shake hands and kiss babies all the way back to our firm base. The strangest thing happened over the next week, after handing out all that money. We would find alot more IED's, more attacks with small arms fire, and less assistance from City officials/public. In short, more Marines got hurt. We then would find ourselves handing out more money for the damage caused from these latest attacks. We pay for insurgent damage as well. Interesting way to fight a war, huh?

I agree with you for the most part. Nelson should be a nice addition to the team. His recieving skills seem to be alot better than what we have seen from the position over the last few years. I don't think it's a stretch that he could become a serviceable blocker, either. I was just responding to your statement that "blocking can be taught'. I just don't think it's that simple. To me, blocking is not an easier skill to just aquire. I don't see much difference in blocking and other skill sets needed to be successful in the NFL. You either have it or you don't. Fortunately, blocking is a basic skill utilized at every level of football. I'm sure he is familiar with the basics and can build on what he knows. It's not like we are asking Levitre to learn how to run routes. If he never learns to be an effective blocker he could still be an effective weapon. To be more than that he needs to be able to block.

I hear what your saying VOR, but you can't just assume he will become a decent blocker. Blocking itself, is a skill set that is not always just rewarded on effort. Some players are naturally better at blocking. Just like some are naturally more gifted at catching. I often read posts that overlook the importance of blocking at the TE, WR, and RB positions. It's easy to say grab this guy and just school him up on blocking. You never hear, grab this guy and school him up on recieving. Not much different, IMO. That's not to say that Nelson won't ever become a good blocking TE. Players strengthen their abilities all the time and he seems to recognize the fact he will need to block in this offense. If blocking was such a simple skill to teach, why does the league put such a premium on o-linemen?

Great pick!

and DJ Moore

Absolutely!

All in all I'm pleased with our first two picks. 1. Maybin wasn't my top choice but I'm glad they went DE here. I think he has alot of potential and talent. I can't wait to see how the team uses him. I know he was coveted by many draft experts and I do my scouting from the couch, so I'm on board. 2. Wood is just a great pick. All I wanted out of this draft was heavy emphasis on the lines. He's a big piece to the puzzle, IMO. I hope this means Trent can get a ball off this year without a fat DT up in his mug. 3.Keep the focus on the lines! I'm hoping for Andy Levitre ,Max Unger, Eben Britton, Ziggy Hood, Duke Robinson, or Herman Johnson.

Here comes Brown or Sintim