billsfan89

Good to see EJ putting the work in. He could easily win games with this defense and the weapons around him (Assuming a upgrade to the O-line via the draft). Overall I say that he might not need to be a great QB to win with this team, he just needs to develop into the best version of himself.

Hopefully they don't have to give him 19 million a year like Suh. As good as Suh and Dareus are it's a lot of money to commit to a DT. As valuable as DT's are controlling the run game and collapsing the pocket in pass rushing they aren't worth paying nearly as much as a QB would command. But if they can get his number down to 14-15 million more in line with McCoy that would seem to be a fair value considering how much he anchors the D-line.

I don't think the teams current cap space allows for them to take on a big salary like Evan Mathis (Who is seeking a raise). But there is modest room to scoop up a couple of veteran players still out there to be had for modest salaries. I would try to get Brandon Spikes back and sign Dwan Landry. As good as the defense is, it could still use some more depth. Spikes and Landry provide Rex two very good depth pieces and role players to the defense. Landry competes with Duke Williams and provides a solid option in case of injury. Spikes provides a run stuffing power LB in an early down role and gives the MLB position depth. Good teams have depth and right now the team should make moves to add depth. You could find a guard in round 2 and you could address other needs in round 3. The team doesn't need to trade away more picks to find answers. However the team can find useful depth pieces on the market right now for a modest price.

If I had to change the rule it would be simple. A standard touchdown is worth 7 points without kicking any extra points or having to do anything else. A standard two point conversion is the new extra point. You can go for 2 by backing the ball up 10 yards. The rules would be designed to make games a little more competitive and still reward teams for scoring TD's as opposed to kicking field goals. TD's can be worth up to 9 points (7 point TD with a 12 yard 2 point conversion). That makes games closer as it takes 10 points to be a two possession lead, also 19 points for the game to be a three score game as opposed to 17. It makes extra points much less automatic and thus more exciting. Also the standard TD bumping up a point still rewards you much more for getting the TD and not the field goal since it's two field goals plus a point.

It's so hard to do in the NFL but I guess it's good the intention is there. Players careers end so abruptly or if they play very well into their 30's the cap comes up and could force them to spend a year or two elsewhere. On the other hand once players start to decline it's hard to not cut them and then they may get another shot down the line.

The compensatory picks process is the dumbest thing in the NFL and that's saying a lot. I get the formula, it's a simple how many players did you sign vs. how many did you lose. So losing a player to a 5 year 50 million dollar contract is the same as signing a free agent to a one year 3 million dollar deal. The process really doesn't allow for much context or nuance for signings. Simple how many in how many out. The way the system should be set up is dollars in vs. dollars out. So if your free agent losses were 75 million and you only signed 30 million worth of contracts you should be compensated in accordance to the 45 million dollar difference in free agent dollars (IE a 3rd round pick is worth 40 million, a 4th round pick is worth 30 million, a 5th rounder 20 million, a 6th rounder 10 million, and a 7th rounder 7 million). And of course you have caps and limits to amounts of picks. But this simplistic formula has to go.

I wouldn't call Kiko top level, he played well in 2013 but I wouldn't have called him a top 5 LB by any stretch. Kiko also is coming of a pretty serious injury the second of it's kind that he has suffered. Also Wood's has improved very much from his second year. Woods had about 700 yards on 65 receptions with 5 TD's with a combo of EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton behind a shaky O-line. Those are pretty good numbers factoring in the circumstances. So while he might be solid now when you factor in the context he could be with better QB and O-line play a 1000 yard receiver.

I think the market for him as a starter isn't there. He wants starter money (3+ million a year 4-5 years with a guaranteed in the 1st and 2nd year) and starter playing time. No team has really offered him that. The Bills probably have been talking to him about being a 1-2 down LB on a one year deal for over 2 million. I think he feels that's the best he is going to get with his skill set being less in demand in a passing league.

His measurable weren't good. The only he was in consideration to be drafted was because of how well he played in the SEC. The Rams drafted him late and he played OK enough to impress the Cowboys enough to be on their practice squad. He will probably be brought into training camp for a team but will more than likely get cut or best case he gets on a practice squad again. I find it very hard to see him being on a 53 man

I think the Bills are also the only team to give him a concrete contract offer. Seems like only Buffalo is interested in him with numbers to offer. Spikes will probably sign a one year deal for 2+ million and take his chances on the market again next year.

It's a bit wreck-less and a bit of calculated aggression. Let's look at each substantial move they made in the off-season so far. Jerry Hughes resigns- Nothing careless about this move. The contract price and cap hit were modest compared to what he could have gotten elsewhere. He has had results in our system and is young. LeSean McCoy trade and extension- Aggressive but not careless. The team traded Kiko a young talented LB who is coming off of a second serious knee injury for a running back about to be 27. On the surface it seems dumb to give cheap young talent away for an expensive running back. But Kiko has huge injury concerns, the defense played fine without him, and if McCoy gives you two great years at RB it jolts the offense and with the defense the team needs a spark on offense. Charles Clay- Aggressive and somewhat careless. Clay for sure fills a need with a talented player who fits the system that the new OC wants implemented. But we overpaid to get him. Granted the team would likely be able to restructure his deal to free up cap space next season. But still they overpaid for a player, but if he turns out to be the right player it might be worth the cost. Percy Harvin- Aggressive and somewhat careless. Harvin fills the need for another playmaker along the offense. But his steep price, injury history, and locker room cancer possibility all make it a highly risky and bad signing. Jerome Felton- Smart. Ground and pound needs a good full back, only knock is that he isn't a premium position but it was a fairly modest contract. Matt Cassel- Smart. There weren't many great QB options out there. The Bills got for a small price a Kyle Orton style low level starter high level backup type QB. Resigning Wynn and Easley- Smart. Keeping depth along the D-line and our special teams ace for a more than fair price was smart. Tyrod Taylor- smart but inconsequential. Project QB will probably take over the third string spot I can't see him being the starter barring injury. Maybe his impact is doing some sort of Wildcat thing. Overall I would say that the Clay and Harvin deals were overpays and a bit careless, The Kiko trade was a bit of both. Every other move was very smart and calculated.

The Bills did pick up Gilmore's 2016 option so they won't have to extend him next off-season. The Bills also have Bradham in to work out an extension. So assuming they get Bradham done they will have Dareus and Glenn to work on and the Bills can franchise one of the those players. Between Glenn and Dareus it's clear that they would choose Dareus. My hope is that after they get Bradham done they work on Dareus over the summer. By getting those two done they can basically use this season to gauge Glenn's worth and have the franchise or transition tag to retain him. As far as cap space there appears to be a decent amount next season for the team even with 3 substantial extensions. With the cap going up, some dead money coming off, some cuts to possible players like Chris Williams, Lawson, and McKelvin (If he under preforms although I think he has a good season considering how well he played under Pettine and how well he did before his injury last season), and the team can restructure Mario's and Clay's contracts. Between all 4 factors that all makes for enough space to keep our players and be some what active in free agency next season. Only issue is will the team have a viable QB option this time next year? They do have their first round pick so they could always go the rookie route but they likely won't have the ability to sign a big QB contract without letting Dareus and Glenn walk.

Kiko, the defense was really good without Kiko and while it would have been nice to have him back he was more of a luxery. Woods was a pretty big part of the offense last season and has improved from his rookie to his second year. Without Woods the team would be one injury to Harvin away from having no real second receiving option.

Good, with Dareus, Bradham, and Glenn also due up pushing off Gilmore's free agency off for another year is a good thing. A steep price kinda but the cap is going up and up so it's not unreasonable esp given the value of CB's in Rex's system. Hopefully they get Bradham to a modest extension in the off-season and they work on Dareus later in the summer (Worst comes to worse you franchise Dareus). Glenn is the X-Factor, his contact value is going to depend on how well he plays this season. It would be nice with Gilmore's option picked up if they took care of Bradham and Dareus and had the franchise tag to use on Glenn if he plays lights out.

Here is how I see the O-line LT- Glenn LG- Rookie 2nd rounder C- Wood RG- InCognito/Williams RT- Henderson/CK Urbik, Richardson, and the loser of the Henderson/CK battle round out the bench. Loser of the InCognito and Williams battle gets cut

I really liked the Cyrus pick. I was shocked at how slow and powerless he looked in pre-season and when they put him in at guard. Hopefully him working on his conditioning and footwork in the off-season helps with those mobility issues. Not everyone develops instantly, it wasn't long ago Aaron Williams was hated and thought of as a lost talent.

Whaley has second round pick that he can invest at the guard position to try and help the O-line. They were in on a lot of O-line this year, they just couldn't seal the deal. Hopefully Evans or another good veteran O-line is made available to address the O-line before the draft. InCognito and the new staff working with Cyrus and the young guys along should be enough to improve the line.

4.3 million would be enough to sign Spikes and possibly Dwan Landry depending on how much each go for. Use the remaining money to sure up the depth of the defense and then go after a Guard in round 2 and a tight end in round 3. Use the rest of the draft to build depth.

Fitz is a bit more turnover prone I think Cassel is a much better fit for a team that wants more of a game manager. Fitz might be a slightly better playmaker but I think he is a bit more wreckless and that leads to turnovers. For a team with a defense projected to be very good you need a QB that cuts down on the turnovers.

No the Bills can't win 11 games without at the very least a capable O-line. If their O-line is below average or horrible it won't be a playoff season for the Bills. I do think the team will draft a guard in round 2 but even as it stands now I think the O-line will be way better than it was last season (Not that it would be hard to do). In 2011-2012 the O-line play was actually pretty decent and good at times. Wood developed into one of the better centers in the league, Glenn was really good his first year, Levitre was a good guard, Urbik developed into a solid starter, and even Pears played passable. 2013 Levitre leaves and they don't do a good job replacing him and Wood, Glenn, and Urbik all regressed while Pears aged out. I think Marrone was a huge reason for the regression. The overall regression of the unit and the individuals is on Marrone. With InCognito and a new coaching staff (As well as the experience gained by Henderson and Cyrus) alone the offensive line should improve.

I would trade a late rounder for him and maybe a low level player that Chip likes (Like Goodwin or some other marginal player with potential). I wouldn't deal the 3rd rounder for him but any other pick plus a late rounder next year or player seems like it would be a good price. Only issue is, Mathis wants a pay increase, that's why the Eagles want to trade him. That's why I don't see it happening, the team is going to draft O-line round 2.

This trade reminds me of the Watkins trade for me personally. My gut reaction was that it was dumb. After thinking about it I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked Kiko but he was more a 4-3 MLB and his injury concerns were legit. McCoy is a dynamic talent but its not in vogue to pay RB's a lot of money and we are tied to him for 2 season at the age of 27. Overall the trade makes sense if you look at the Bills QB situation and the need for talent on the offense. The Bills weren't going to get a great QB without a 1st rounder. Kiko wasn't the best fit for the defense and he had injury concerns. So the Bills decided to upgrade the talent around the QB position. A very very good RB who is still in his prime was a good way to start the rebuild of the offense. Hopefully Clay, Harvin, and InCognito add to the mix as well as the team drafts a good guard.

With Dareus, Glimore, and Glenn on the last year of their deals it would be smart to sign him to a modest deal and get one less player to extend.

Good QB's don't become free agents.

Lets say they used the second rounder and this years third to trade up for Watikins (Which isn't unreasonable or far-fetched) and since Cyrus didn't have much of an impact its likely the team still would have finished 9-7. I think they go RT round 1 guard round 2. Roman had a lot of success with a power running O-line which featured multiple first rounders and high draft picks. I think he wouldn't mind doing that again.