Astrobot

Disagree about McFadden. I think he goes in Round 2; some value boards have him in Round 3. RB Eric Shelton is a 3rd Rounder. Now, Jermelle Lewis of Iowa might be there, and possibly Darren Sproles. There are lots of RB FA's which means RB's might last longer than we think.

I use Barnes and Noble (bn.com). You pay up front rather than paying in the end.

Fur. Thick Fur.

In Bozeman Montana (No I was not visiting DB), we were treated to a nice concoction called Moose Drool, from the Big Sky Brewing Company. I dunno how they brewed it. Seems it would be difficult to keep the moose over the glass for that long.

TSW VALUE BOARD Includes players mentioned on the TSW Draft Board highlighted in yellow. Let Me Know What You Think. Astro

The Value Boards have Baas slipping to early 3rd, and he's listed as the 3rd best Guard. If we want him, we can get him.

We all know the dangers of getting a Woody, so I'd opt for a Wahle.

But what about Euhus and/or Neufeld? They are receiver-type TE's. Don't you want the best blocker TE?

I'd make a 1 year deal with one of the above (Zeroue's an interesting option), and draft Sproles or Jermelle Lewis (Iowa) in the 4th-5th. I'd draft Wilkerson OR Carter for the OLine (Center or Guard; both have experience at both) in Round 2. And I'd trade Travis for Shelton even up, and continue training Jason Peters as backup Tackle. I'd bring some leverage on Mike Williams to reduce his cap hit for the coming year. JJ is gone unless he gives us a hometown discount. WR Chris Henry or K Nugent in Round 3. Those would be my changes on Offense.

The difference is, we can get Bubba if we want him. And we do.

This could also be TD posturing to get Teague to renegotiate his contract. Something's going on, and the Silver Smokescreen is hard to see through.

I'd see the inside linemen Tucker-Teague-Villarial as too weak up the middle, and our schedule next year has DT's that will give them the DT's. Sign an FA or two at 12:01 this Tuesday, TD! Or would that be Wednesday?

Yeah, while they're white in color, they're not 8' tall, but you can cut 'em easily. And none give me a major woody.

I hadn't stopped to think of it, but we COULD return 21 of our 22 starters, including 11 of 11 from our #2 defense. That's not saying we will, but we could... He obviously likes Posey, doesn't think Lindell is more than the 7th liability on this team, likes our D-Line, and thinks our LB depth is okay---all more of a concern to me than him.

You Rock, You Rule! See you in the Draft Forum! All The Best, Astro

Source "February 15, 2005 A Position-By-Position Look at the Buffalo Bills Strengths and Weaknesses 8:34 PM CST an original article by Joe Marino With free-agency and the NFL draft right around the corner it’s about time to take a look at the current Bills’ strengths and weaknesses. When you look up and down the Buffalo Bills roster, you don’t see a whole lot of weakness. What you see is a roster, which in all actuality, is loaded with talent. Talent-wise the Buffalo Bills can match up with any team on any Sunday and that is not an overstatement by any stretch of the measure. At almost every position on the team, there is either a proven veteran or a young player with a lot of upside sitting there with the starting job. With the assumption that the Bills re-sign Pat Williams and Jonas Jennings, and that Drew Bledsoe is indeed released, the Bills will return 21 of 22 starters. The lone non-returning starter would be JP Losman who would be the starter, not because Bledsoe isn’t under contract for next season, but because the organization feels that JP can do a better job than Drew Bledsoe. So all in all, if the Bills wanted to return 22 of 22 starters next season, they could. It is also important to mention that we are talking about a team that started 1-5, finished 9-7, and outscored their opponents by more than a touchdown per game. Over the last ten games of the season the Bills were 8-2. The Bills defense has been number 2 in the NFL the past two seasons and led the league in forced turnovers this past season. The Bills were ranked number one in just about every special teams category last year. The offense took great strides last year under Mike Mularkey and Tom Clements. It is obvious that the Bills have a lot of good things about them going into the off-season. So here you have it, a position-by-position look at the Bills strengths and weaknesses. Quarterback: The Bills have made it clear; JP Losman is going to the starting quarterback next season. Drew Bledsoe will not be a part of the roster next season and will be released within the next few weeks. With that said, you can say that this is an area of weakness. In last year’s draft Losman was said to have had the best arm in a draft that includes the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers. He was undoubtedly the fastest, most athletic quarterback taken in the first round (he ran a 4.6 40). With that said, he has all the physical tools to be a good quarterback in the league. Now we will just have to see how the learning curve is going affect. He was certainly confident in himself heading into the draft. He is a young guy, with a ton of upside and physical tools, getting a chance to start in the NFL. He was drafted in the first round, and first round quarterbacks are supposed to start eventually, JP is now getting his chance. The backup quarterback situation is a little flaky and it is essential for the Bills to have a solid backup when starting a second year player. Drew Bledsoe will not be on the roster. Shane Matthews is contemplating retirement. Hopefully the Bills can put those thoughts to rest and bring back Matthews to be a good veteran backup for JP. Fullback: Daimon Shelton was what seemed to be the consensus choice of all the football experts to be the AFC Pro Bowl fullback. However he wasn’t. But the bottom line here is that this is not an area of need. Running Back: Willis McGahee has been prophesying that last year was just a little taste of what’s to come in following years. With Travis Henry trade rumors floating around the league, the Bills may want to find a solid backup who can spell McGahee from time to time. Shaud Williams is intriguing but he is not that guy. A mid-round pick or free agent signing can easily fill this hole. Wide Receiver: Lee Evans and Eric Moulds are fine. It’s when you get past those 2 guys that you realize the Bills need some help. Josh Reed has been a bust. Small and slow doesn’t cut it in the NFL. The Bills coaching staff has been waiting for Sam Aiken to bust out but I have a strong feeling he never will. Freddie Smith is no more than a slow return guy. The Bills need a third receiver. Maybe a big, strong possession guy would do the trick as opposed to a speedy traditional third receiver. We already get that out of Evans, we need a guy who is strong that can work the middle of the field and catch passes in traffic. I am not talking about Plaxico Burress, I don’t care about the Mularkey connection, and it would be a superfluous signing. Tight End: Mark Campbell and Tim Euhus played well when they were healthy. However, these are not your tight ends that are going to really be a big time factor in a game (such as Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Wittten, or Alge Crumpler). With both Campbell and Euhus coming off-season ending injuries, don’t be surprised to see the Bills spend a mid round pick on a tight end or sign one. Granted they might not be the caliber of players I fore mentioned, this could be somewhat considered an area of weakness if Campbell and Euhus aren’t ready to go. If they are ready, those guys are sufficient tight ends, not game breakers. Perhaps Bubba Franks could be someone the Bills look into, but I don’t see Franks leaving Green Bay. Offensive Line: These guys took their game to a whole new level the second half of the season. Granted they started of slow, offensive line coach Jim Mcnally got these guys to flat out play and I am positive that will carry into next season. Assuming we find a way to get Jennings back, I have absolutely no problem with entering the season with, from left to right: Jennings, Tucker, Teague, Villarial, and Williams. Marcus Price is a solid backup at tackle but is a free agent. Lawrence Smith will be back and entered the season as the starter. Not saying he is adequate or anything, just saying he has a little game experience and can fill in. Depth may be an issue, but the starting five I have no problem with. A lot of Bills fans would disagree, but under Mcnally these guys played great the second half of last season and will continue to improve. If the scenario happens in which Jonas Jennings isn’t resigned, many Bills fans have mentioned a desire for Walter Jones. Albeit, he is perhaps the best tackle in the game, if we were going to spend that kind of money at the left tackle position, we might as well have kept Jennings. I can assure you that Jennings is going to get less of a salary than the perennial pro bowler Jones, and Jennings is younger. Look for a Ryan Diem type player to be added if Jennings isn’t brought back. Defensive Line: Aaron Schobel is a stud. Chris Kelsay is a rising stud. At this point, Ryan Denney provides adequate depth. Bills are fine at end. Sam Adams is a major stud. Pat Williams is a stud, Ron Edwards provides decent depth. The Bills are fine at defensive tackle so long as Pat Williams is back. Perhaps Tim Anderson will begin to develop after the Bills invested at third round pick for him. Perhaps a young guy with some athletic ability wouldn’t hurt to bring in since Adams and Williams are both over 30. But in short the Bills are fine at D-Line. Linebacker: Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher, and Jeff Posey format what is one of the best corps in the league. Angelo Crowell is a nice backup as is Josh Stamer. Mario Haggan was a big time player in college who is also on the roster. We are fine here. Cornerback: Nate Clements is the definition of a shut down corner. Terrence Mcgee is improving and really played great the second half of last season. Watch for him to emerge in the upcoming season. Kevin Thomas, if re-signed provides excellent nickel back play for the Bills. Un-drafted rookie free agent Jabrari Greer played well when called on last year. The Bills are set at corner. Safety: You know what you get out of Lawyer Milloy. He’s a physical presence and outstanding leader. Troy Vincent is going to be one of the best FS in the game. He reminds me a lot of what Rod Woodson did in his career. I look for big things out of him after last year. The problem is that neither of them is under 30 but I see 3-5 good years out of both of them. Coy Wire is still in my doghouse but many would argue he brings solid depth at strong safety. Rashad Baker played great when he got a few starts this season and replaced incumbent starter Izell Reese. Baker was undrafted out of Tennessee. Specialist: Brian Moorman once again deserved to be in the Pro Bowl but wasn’t. He is a great, athletic punter. Rian Lindell is not the best kicker but is also not the worst. I think the Bills can upgrade but I doubt they will. Terrence Mcgee is one of the best return men in the league and was a Pro Bowler over Dante Hall. Freddie Smith needs to be the full-time punt returner, because Nate Clements fumbles too much at that position and plus his value as a corner is to high to risk him like that. The Bills needs can be summed up in the following short list. Remember, this is in the full assumption that the Bills re-sign Jennings, Williams, Price and Thomas. This list is not in any particular order. 1. Back up to Mcgahee 2. Third Receiver-big, strong, possession guy 3. Back up quarterback 4. Depth at O-Line. Only upgrade starters if they are indeed significant upgrades. 5. PERHAPS Tight End…pending injury recovery 6. Young DT through draft 7. Kicker In a nutshell, re-sign our guys and we will be fine. If we don’t get Williams, Jennings, Thomas, and Price, we all of a sudden have glaring holes at starting left tackle and defensive tackle, and then nickel back and backup tackle. But I have a feeling our guys will be back. We are $12.6 million under that cap and that doesn’t even factor the releasing of Drew Bledsoe. The money is there, now just do it Tom Donahoe. " ============== I disagree about some of the needs/draft orders (esp. relative rank of kicker need and state of the D-Line and D-backs).

We'd have a wife beater instead of a teen molester...

No...But Moulds has personally told me he doesn't like run-on sentences.

JinVA, Like your picks! Alex Smith would be a good "insurance policy" should Euhus not recover. Elton Brown falls within the rules of the game, but I agree, will not drop to us. I just found out about Roos. Cool. Astro

I want a veteran in the other OG slot, not a draftee. I'd love to see Wahle in here, even before JJ's $$$ discussions are over.

OUR TSW Topics: 1. JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank 2. Gout 3. The TV Show 24 4. Blue Collar Comedy Tour More Interesting.

Rich has been over on the College Football part of TSW, with lots of posts about the Draft. Very interesting over there from now until Draft Day.

You're right on Ritzmann and Stevenson. Nick Kaczur is a possibility. As the draft thermometer rises and falls for various players, good players can be pushed downward, and Kaczur just might be there. Some players get overinflated. Sure hope so.

Totally agree. We will not pick WR in Round 2 or 3 with the other irons in the fire. RRich's other draft has us picking up an OT and OG. If that comes true, then I'd be more likely to shop for a WR than a TE in FA, and fill needs from the draft in the K, S, and DT areas.

I like the sound of this DT. 300 lbs, 4.7 speed? "The first thing that pops out to anyone watching Atiyyah Ellison is his quickness. He moves very well on his feet for a man of his size. Ellison has been reported to time as fast as 4.7 seconds in the 40 yard dash, which is quite amazing considering he weighs over 300 pounds. His pass rush skills from the interior are among the best in college football right now. He’s a very athletic player and can play the run effectively as well. Overall, Ellison is a very disruptive interior lineman that is capable of making an impact every down he plays."