ChanOverChin

Here's my two cents: I think our starters will be: OFFENSE: QB- Edwards RB- Jackson RB- Spiller (gives added dimension as a pass catcher) WR- Evans WR- Hardy (better measurables than the other WRs on the roster) TE- Nelson LT- Outside Veteran Player (this spot has to be imporved for Bills to have a chance to compete) LG- Levitre C- Hangartner RG- Wood RT- Green DEFENSE: DE- Stroud DT- Williams DE- Edwards OLB- Schobel/Kelsay ILB- Poz ILB- Mitchell OLB- Maybin CB- McKelvin CB- McGee FS- Byrd SS- Whitner PR- Parrish KR- Spiller K- Lindell P- Moorman. We must find a proven, vet LT to give ourselves a chance to win. I think the Bills will evetually sign someone if they plan to try to win this year. T. Edwards could have a pretty good year under Gailey's tutledge. That is as long as the O-line does a capable job. Spiller and Hardy are interesting additions to the offense. They could both be very exciting players to watch this year. Green is a questionable starter, but probably the best that the Bills currently have at RT. Mitchell starts ahead of Poz and Davis at ILB. McKelvin becomes a stud this year. I like Maybin to have a breakout year this year as well. Not so sure how the Schobel/Kelsay thing will work out at OLB. The Bills almost need to consider putting Mitchell at SOLB, let Schobel/Maybin/Kelsay play WOLB (pass rushing position), and then start Poz and davis at ILB.

Chan could have the inside track on Adams since he coached him when he was HC in Dallas. I think it would be a major upgrade to have a proven vet LT going into the season rather than what we have now....even for just one year. The Bills' offense doesn't stand a chance to succeed if they can't protect the QB. I say upgrade the LT and RT spots this year if possible and then this team has a shot to compete.

Fitzy is not going tot be the starting QB. The opeing day starter will either be Edwards or Brohm. Most likely, it will be Edwards. I'm anxious to see what Gailey can do to improve our QBs knowing the NFL success that he is had with less than adequate talents like K. Stewart. Jackson and Lynch will likely see the bulk of the carries, but expect Spiller to get his fair share as well. I expect Siller to be the X-factor for the offense this year and to be on the field on offense an awful lot. He will play RB and WR and will be given the ball in open space by design. Many people think that Spiller can be this year's verson of Chris Johnson. On paper, our WRs are not great, but do have a lot of potential. Here's an evaualtion: Evans - his talent and speed are obvious; he's a proven NFL starter. Hardy - former R2 pick has great size and athleticism and is in his second year; he's got a lot to learn and a lot to prove. Easley - R4 pick is very fluid and athletic; he's got good size and good hands; he's very green at this point. Parrish - former R2 pick is that scat-back type that Gailey likes; he could be a dangerous player in Gailey's offense; throw him short passes and passes behind the LOS and watch him go. Johnson - former R6 pick is a good possession receiver and now has some experience; he should contribute this year. Jackson - former R2 pick by N.E. is big and strong the way that Nix likes them; he's got the ability to contribute this year. Overall, no real big names on offense, but expect to see a lot of Jackson, Lynch, Evans, and Spiller with the likes of TE Nelson, Hardy, Parrish, and Johnson mixed in. If you consider Spiller to be part of the WR group then that group doesn't look to be that bad. Hardy, Easley, Johnson, and Jackson all have the NFL body type and ahtleticism to succeed as NFL WRs. They just need the right coaching the the time to develop.

The Bills will end up trading for Gaither or J. Brown before the season starts. That move will do wonders for their starting O-Line. I can forsee the following starters on the O-line to open the season: LT: J. Gaither (very big, strong, athletic, proven) LG: J. Levitre (strong, athletic, solid performer last year) OC: Hangartner (vet OC with lots of experience, can hold his own) RG: E. Wood (may be our best OL when healthy, very strong, tough, mean streak) RT: C. Brown or possibly Meredith or someone else (this is the potential problem position). When completely healthy, I think Gaither, Levitre, Hangartner, and Wood make up a very solid group. It's the RT position that I would be most concerned about at this point (as long as Gaither is acquired).

The Ravens have a disgruntled player who doesn't want to be there. The team has already shown its cards to the rest of the NFL by moving Oher to the starting LT spot. Sure, the Ravens can keep Gaither, but he's not going to play for them unless he gets starting LT money. If they have already decided that they like Oher better at LT and that they're not going to pay Gaither starting LT money then they really have no choice but to trade him. And that's what they will likely do very soon.

The Ravens want to move Gaither to make room for Oher at LT and because they apparently don't want to pay him the big money. Gaither is going to be moved one way or the other. The Bills know this, as does the rest of the NFL. I think this puts the Bills in the driver's seat, not the other way around. This may be why the Bills felt comfortable not taking an OT until R5. It may have been their plan all along at the time of the draft to forego taking an OT like Bulaga at #9 (who ended up be drafted around #22 overall) and insread taking the best player available on their draft board (i.e. CJ Spiller). I suspect that what is preventing the trade from being completed is: 1. Gaither's injury status. 2. What type of contract he will expect from the Bills. I'd be willing to be that the compensation has already been worked out. The compensation will likely be either a 2011 R2 pick OR a 2011 R3 pick plus a player like CB Youboty (which what I suggested earlier). Whether you like Gaither or not, he represents a true NFL LT with ideal size, 33 starts, and is still very young. For a Bills team that is trying to rebuild via mostly a youth movement (so that when the team is finally good again they will remain at that level for a 4-6 yr period) he fits right in. The bottom line is that Gailey's current roster cannot compete postively this year without a quality LT and Gailey knows it. That's why getting Gaither via trade withint he next week or two would be HUGE for the Bills. Consider me officially excited if the Bills are able to pull off this trade for something similar to what I have mentioned above. Remember, the Bills were trying to trade for Gaither during the 2011 draft, which means that if they had traded their R2 pick they would not have NT T. Troup, who very well may be their starting NT this year and for a very long time. If they are able to get Gaither for a 2011 draft pick they will have greatly improved BOTH the O-Line and the D-line.

I can see the Bills going hard after Gaither, who is young and has 33 starts at LT. He's a very good player when properly motivated. Word is that his agent advised him to not practice while a trade is worked out the Bills, lest he injure himself in the process. I wouldn't mind seeing the Bills trade a R3 and CB Youboty for LT Gaither. Even though the Bills' 2011 R2 pick will likely be a top 10 pick, I would still consider trading it for a potential ong time starter at LT like Gaither. The Bills won't involve McKelvin (our best CB and likely a long term player for us) in this trade as has been rumored. If the Bills can fill the LT spot this year they will be in a much better position to compete this year and have a much better shot at contending fo the division title the following year.

To answer your question, it's simple, Brohm is a QB with high expectations. Most people could give a sh-- about an unknown OL like Meredith. Brohm has the potential to provide a much, much, much higher impact to the Bills because of the position that he plays. It's not that difficult to understand really.

Mitchel has been told that he will play one of the ILB positions. That means that Poz or A. Davis will fight for the other ILB spot. If Schobel returns he'ss start at one OLB spot. Maybin will likely start at the other. We're looking at this starting LB corps: Schobel Mitchell Poz/Davis Maybin. That's a pretty good group actually. Mitchell can also play outside. In that case: Mitchell Davis Poz Schobel/Maybin. The Bills may ultimately settle on this group of starters. Other LBs who will likely make the final roster include: Kelsay, Moats, Draft, Batten, Ellison. Kelsay can be kep around to play a backup pass rushing OLB or be used as a possible 4-3 DE is obvious passing situations if the Bills choose to go that route at times.

Expecting 7th round pick, Levi Brown, to improve this team in year 1 is outrageous. It's not going to happen. Unless the Bills can acquire a much better LT AND C. Green proves that he can play RT, it's not going to matter who the Bills play at QB. I'm hopeful that Brohm or Brown come out of nowhere to be better than average QBs, but that might be a lot to ask. I think Nix would rather take his lumps this year, finish between 3-13 and 6-10, and then be in position to draft a franchise QB in 2011. Then and only then will you see him go out and sign proven veteran FAs to fill the holes that are needed to be filled.

I believe the Bills are waiting until next year to make their big play for a QB. They will make something happen one way or the other next year because the team will have TWO drafts under its belt under the new regime by then and will be better positioned to select a franchise QB in R1 next year. Edwards starting at QB as well as Bell and Green starting at the OT spots will ensure a relatively dismal performance from the QB position, which will ultimately lead to yet another top 10 draft pick. The Bills are at least one more year away from realistically competing for a playoff spot in what is now the toughest division in football. They cannot hope to compete with the revamped Pat, Fins, and Jets with no marked improvement at LT, RT, WR, TE, and QB. I would expect the starters for 2010 to look something like: QB: T. Edwards (no improvement) RB: F. Jackson Flex RB/WR: CJ Spiller TE: Nelson (no improvement) WR: L. Evans WR J. Hardy (no improvement) LT: D. Bell (no improvement) LG: Levitre OC: Hangartner RG: E. Wood RT: C. Green (no improvement) NT: T. Troupe DT: M. Stroud DT: D. Edwards OLB: K. Mitchell ILB: Poz ILB: A. Davis OLB: Schobel/Maybin CB: McKelvin CB: McGee SS: Whitner/Scott (no improvement) FS: Byrd LS: Sanborn K: Lindell P: Moorman PR: Spiller/Parrish KR: Spiller/McKelvin We have glaring weaknesses at QB, both OTs, at least one WR spot, at TE, and at SS. If Troupe doesn't play well at NT, our defense could be in big trouble. This team would probably finish much better in a weaker division, but because of the six tough division games I'm expecting a 2010 record of 5-11 or 6-10 at best.

I realize that, but it seems pretty obvious to me that the Bills will look to St. Louis to try to acquire the franchise QB that they desperately need. It's been confirmed that the Bills have contacted the Rams who have the first pick in R2 (#33 overall). I can't see any other reason why the Bills would want to trade up to #33 overall (just ahead of Cleveland, who also needs a starting QB) than to select Clausen. The Bills probably can't believe that they even have the opportunity. Heck, I figured they would make the move last night towards the end of R1 (possibly with Minnesota who could use a RB like Lynch since they lost RB C. Taylor as their backup). Finding a franchise QB is the most difficult thing to do. The Bills obviously know this. They've been searching for such a player since J. Kelly retired. They already tried to trade for McNabb so they have shown their hand. Lynch has become very expendable now that Spiller has been selected so I fully expect that he will be traded with the team having so many holes to fill. The Bills can't afford to have three stud RBs and major holes at QB, LT, and NT among others so it only stands to reason. Lynch is young, very talented, and was a former R1 pick. He will garner some interest. The only question that remains is, how much will the Bills be willing to give up to get Clausen??

How about Lynch and a R4 pick for #33 overall?? The Bills would be in the driver seat then. They could: 1. Draft QB J. Clausen and fill one of their three biggest needs. 2. Draft an OT (OT B. Campbell was expected to be a R1 pick). 3. Draft NT T. Cody. 4. Trade down a little bit and pick up an extra R3 or R4 pick. Then select of one of the three players above. 5. Trade down twice (a al Denver) and pick up multiple additional R3 or R4 picks while still being able to grab one of the three above. The key issue is whether Nix is infatuated with any of the three. If he is then he would obviously stay at #33 and make the pick. My guess is that if Nix trades for the #33 pick it will be to get ahead of Cleveland in order to select a QB. That QB would be J. Clausen. I'm amazed that Clausen was not taken in R1. To get him in R2 would be an absolute steal for the Bills. He would be extremely motivated to prove to the NFL world that he was deserving of a R1 selection, not unlike QB D. Brees (last year's Super Bowl MVP). Replacing Lynch with Spiller and adding Clausen at QB to build around would be some significant improvements for the Bills. As an aside, the draft mag. that I picked up a few days ago USA Today) happens to have Clausen on the cover and predicted that he would be selected #1 overall.

Campbell for a R5 pick would be a steal for us. He would make us better immediately. Maybe Gailey can work some magic with him like he did K. Stewart. The Bills can still draft a QB in R2 or R3. They should trade down in R1, acquire at least an additional R2 pick (plus maybe a R4 pick), then do the following: R1 - Best OT available R2a - Best NT available R2b - Best LB available R3 - Best OL available R4a - Best DL available R4b - Best WR available R5 - Trade for QB J. Campbell R6 - Best TE available R6 - Best QB available R7 - Best RB available R7 - Best LB available.

The Bills are not going to trade up from #9 overall. They can't afford to. If anything, they need to to trade to acquire MORE picks within the first four round. Washington has two R1 picks this year so I don't think they need picks. They could trade down with one of their R1 picks to acquire the R2 pick that they traded for McNabb.

CodeMonkey, "but riddle me this ... if he regretted it so much why did he never hire Gailey back even as a OC if not a HC? This whole paragraph is just so wrong it hurts to read it. Now I'm not saying the 'Good Ole Boy' connection shouldn't be given a fair chance, because I think they should (besides what real say do we have in the matter). But man when I read extreme homer posts with amazing spin on the facts like this one it makes me shake my head in amazement." What are you talking about?? Once a HC is fired he's not going to be rehired.....that's extremely rare.....the bridge has been burned. Coaches get fired........it happens to the best of them. J. Jones didn't have to make a public statement that he regretted firing Gailey, but he did, which should tell you that it was indeed a mistake. Making it to the playoffs is really all we can ask. Once you get to the playoffs anything can happen......but you have to get there first. The Bills haven't been tot he playoffs in TEN %%%^#@%*&^% YEARS!! So getting there would be a HUGE step in the right direction for us. Riddle me this, who would you have hired as HC??? Warning, warning.....you're being set up!!!!

Don't worry about what Gailey says, just worry about what he does. He's currently just trying to build up some confidence in the Bills as an organization. What would you expect him to say, "The Bills really suck, they have no chance, and they're not going to win many games in 2010"?? As Bills fans we owe it to Gailey and the new Bills brass to at least give them a chance and to support them. I would say that it is fair to give them three years to try to turn things around. That doesn't mean that the team won't be competitive by year 2 because I think there's a pretty good chance that they will be, even though it may not add up to a lot of wins. it will be impossible for Gailey & Co. to produce a winning season this year (i.e. at least 9-7) unless the QB and O-line situations are greatly improved at the very least. We probably can't reach 9-7 in 2010 unless we have a viable starting NT and a good starting quartet of LBs as well (since our secondary is expected to be pretty good). Fixing all of those problems adequately may not be possible in year 1, but it is possible by year 2. By year 3, the Bills should be well on their way towards being a realistic playoff contender. If they're not, then we'll have some complaining to do. How the Bills brass ultimately chooses to improve their QB situation will tell me a lot about them and whether they are capable of turning this franchise around. For my two cents, I believe that Chan Gailey was a very good hire, considering the circumstances. He's a proven winner. He's a proven NFL OC, which the Bills haven't had in awhile. I really like the fact that he will be calling the plays on Sundays. People forget that Gailey was a pretty hot commodity at one time, which is right around when the Cowboys hired him as their HC (and regretted firing him after producing a winning record). He was the Bill Cowher of that time. When coaches get fired, for whatever reason, they don't necessarily ever get a chance to be a HC again. Gailey is obviously good enough to garner another chance.

In this case, the Bills were able to acquire Davis becuase of his prior affiliation with DC G. Edwards. Otherwise, he probably wasn't going to play for Buffalo. D. Edwards signed with the Bills because he really had no other options as it turns out. He was considered to be a top 10 FA in 2010, which is a very good get for the Bills. However, Edwards is also a very risky signing because of the serious neck injury that he suffered. Two other teams wouldn't touch him as a result. He had no offers. So why did the Bills feel like they had to ante up $18M to get him????????? FA players don't want to come to Buffalo for a lot of reasons........the weather conditions, the cheap owner, the small market, the low profile status, the perception that the organization is in turmoil, the fact that the team has not made it to the playoffs in 10 years. The biggest reason right now is that the team just has not been very good. The perception is that the FO doesn't know what it's doing, the owner won't pay for top of the line coaches and players, and the owner meddles in the every day football decisions. The Bills can't do much about having to play in poor weather or being a small market team, but they can change how they run their team, who they hire as coaches, who they draft, and who they sign. Unlike a lot of teams, the Bills absolutely MUST draft well year after year after year or they cannot hope to compete because they won't attract the FA players that they need to win at the most critical positions until they start to win again. And they won't start to win again (i.e. make the playoffs) until they start to draft very well on a consistent basis.

I don't agree with this opinion. I think the Bills will select the best player available at a position of need (LT/QB/NT) and if they don't fee that that player is worthy of the #9 overal pick then they will trade down in R1 (acquire additional picks) and then select the best player available from a position of need. Spiller appears to be a great player in the making. Here is Thurman Thomas, but with a lot more speed (he ran a 4.24 40 at the combine). He looks very fast on film both as a RB and and as a KR/PR. He is also has very good hands. This guy is a difference maker and could actually warrant being selected in the top 10 picks of the draft. However, I can't see the Bills taking Spiller when they have a dire need at LT and NT and even QB. From a pure management standpoint, I think you need to look at what players that you can usually acquire (and acquire at a reasonable via FA) and that should play into your draft strategy each year. For instance, it's nearly impossible to find a stud LT or NT in FA because every team will franchise tag them before letting them go. RBs, OTOH, are a dime a dozen. There are always stud or at least very serviceable RBs available via FA. Just this year guys like T. Jones, LT, C. Taylor, and others were readily available. That's the MAIN reason why the best must select a LT or NT or QB in R1........because they are not likely to fill these important positions adequately via FA. They cannot hope to compete without very good players at these vital positions.

Mitchell is the best LB on our roster currently. He is versatile enoguh to play both inside and outside. I don't think he has any worry about being released no matter whom the Bills sign.

We could sure use Davis. Mitchell could be moved outside (strong side OLB) with Poz and Davis playing ILB while Schobel and Maybin share time at the other OLB spot. That would be a pretty good group. The Bills will still need to add some better big bodies on the D-Line. Getting a stud NT in the draft will be a must.

Some very good points. I think that with the Bills having NINE picks currently and a very high #1 pick that they are poised to help themselves out greatly via the draft. I would propose that the Bills very seriously consider trading down in R1 since there are several teams with TWO R1 picks who would likely be more than willing to trade their extra R1 pick in order to move up to grab a player of need in the top 10 of the draft. The Bills may be able to trade down to #16 overall and pick up an extra R2 and R4 pick and STILL get the player that they want (i.e. either LT Balaga or NT D. Williams). In this scenario they would have the following picks overal: R1 (#16), R2, R2, R3, R4, R4, R5, R6, R6, R7, R7 (11 draft picks). They could get the starting LT and NT that they desperately need, trade a pick or picks for a vet QB and use the remainder of the picks to provide quality depth and select the type of players that they need to play the new 3-4 alignment on defense.

As I mentioned, many of the players that we will have back this year missed a lot of time last year. McKelvin and McGee and Mitchell missed a lot of time as starters last year, which greatly contributed to the 2009 defense's poor showing. The key will be how well we are able to improve the defensive line AND whether Schobel/Maybin can actually play the OLB postion in the 3-4 alignment. I mentioned Porter because he has played for DC Edwards' in the 3-4 while with Miami and is a very good 3-4 OLB. He could play the strong side while allowing Schobel and Maybin to mostly rush the passer from the weak side, which plays to their strengths. Rushing from the 3-4 OLB position will also put both Schobel and Maybin in a postion to have to beat a TE or RB in order to get to the QB (i.e. usually smaller players than they are) rather than having to go up against a 315 lb LT (i.e. always a bigger/stronger player than they are). Poz and Mitchell are both best suited for the ILB position in the 3-4 than they are as MLBs in the 4-3 because they won't have as much ground to cover against the run or as much of the field to cover against the pass in the 3-4. The Bills MUST have three very stout DLs with enough size and strength to keep the opposing OLs at bay so that the LBs behind them can be kept free to make plays. I think McKelvin and McGee are both excellent cover CBs, but we need them for 16 games, not 7 or 8. The CBs we have behind them provide good depth, but aren't nearly as good in 1v1 coverage as they are. Byrd has proven to be a great find and a turnover machine. he's just a very smart player like his dad who knows where to be on the field. Whitner has all the talent in the world to be a very good SS. This is the year that he needs to show it for 16 games. Both Scott and Wilson have their pluses and minuses as safeties. I'm very encouraged that our defense will be very respectable if we able able to make the improvements that I've mentioned above. I'll asses the offense and the ST at a later date.

If the Bills play their cards right they could put a very respectable group of players on the field on defense for 2010. That's because guys like McKelvin, McGee, Whitner, Poz, Mitchell, and others missed so much time that they really weren't able to make much of an impact. Hopefully, with bigger stronger players overall in the front seven the defense will hold up better and the starters will make it through to game 16 (and even the playoffs) unscathed. I'm hoping that Nix is evaluating all available FAs and looking to sign the ones that fit what we plan to do on offense and defense the best. DT/NT J. Kennedy may not be a big name, but he may fit the 3-4 scheme very well and should compete for a starting DT position. He was the #12 player overall several years back so the talent is certainly there. From what I've read it sounds like he is going to play for Buffalo. Right now I see the Bills starting Stroud and Sp. Johnson at DT and K. Williams at NT. If they sign Kennedy then he may start ahead of Johnson. I expect the Bills to draft a high quality NT in either R1 or R2 and that player will then compete with Williams for the starting NT spot. Our starting defense would shape up as follows if we sign Kennedy, draft a NT in R1 or R2, and maybe even sign a vet OLB like J. Porter (all are very realistic): Potential Defensive starters: DT/NT/DT - Stroud/R1 or R2 pick/Kennedy (Subs: K. Williams, Sp. Johnson, McCargo, Kelsay) OLB/ILB/ILB/OLB - Porter/Mitchell/Poz/Schobel (Subs: Maybin, C. Ellis, Draft, N. Harris, mid round draft pick) CB/SS/FS/CB - McGee/Whitner/Byrd/McKelvin (Subs: Florence, Youboty, Corner, B. Scott, Wilson) That's not a bad group really. If we can get a really good NT in the draft the defense mentioned above could do very well in 2010. Your thoughts??

Bryant is also oft injured and hasn't been very good the last few years. He's definitely not worth $7M/season. Watson was a product of the system in NE. He's good and has good size, but he's not a $5M/season TE. For him, reasonable would be about $3M/season. I'm hoping that Nix is evaluating all available FAs and looking to sign the ones that fit what we plan to do on offense and defense the best.