Turbosrrgood

Exactly, that was my point. Thigpen isn't going anywhere, and Smith might end up being the 3rd stringer...Or we could keep Levi. Either way, I don't see how we could use a spot on a high risk QB, that wont be here for training camp. you get what you pay for...at least when you have good scouts... We have been going after these second tier guys for way too long now, I am ready to take a chance on someone that is supposed to be GREAT...not someone that MIGHT be ok...

McGee might be the best pick we've made in the last 10 years in terms of value (Maybe Peters)....Too bad he can't stay healthy. Sorry off topic, just a rare thing when you see a guy drafted a while ago that over performed for us...

I'd be absolutely fine with that...I think Luck edges him out a little as far as the total QB package, but Landry looks like a star.

Exactly...OT is BY FAR our biggest need right now, followed by OG, then OLB.

Embarrassingly I missed that. So whatever pick they use on the player they give up next year. This idea makes a little more sense now. I'm skeptical that he will be eligible though. I still don't see the Bills spending a 3 on him now. They have decent depth at QB, and he wouldn't really be able to participate in camp. I don't know if they would want to use a roster spot on him. Plus, that pick could be valuable if they enter the Luck/Landry sweepstakes next year...

You mean his appendectomy? He was beaten out by Ryan Harris (a rookie), in training camp. He blew his appendix later in the year (week 8), which landed him on IR since he was just a backup (never played that year, 2008). He then went to Raiders where he was good enough to be Cornell Greens backup for a year, even getting some time due to CG injuries. They cut him. He went to the Jags, who cut him despite needing OL help. He had no other major injuries that I am aware of. I think Bell DID show improvement, the problem is that doesn't make him good by NFL standards (maybe Bills standards). We should still look to improve the position as a whole. Bell isn't half the OT Jennings was.

Perhaps I should throw my hat in the ring.... I may be a hair undersized at 5-11 175, but I ran a 4.7 40 in high school. That's good for an OT right? Granted I played CB/WR, but I can be coached up right? I can even do 2 reps of 225. At 31 I'm in my prime Plus, and Ralph will love this, I will gladly sign for the league minimum.

I think his draft ranking is going to be partially linked to how Cam Newton looks this year. If Cam looks good and shows signs of becoming the matchup problem he is supposed to be, then Pryor's stock will rise. Teams will start thinking that this is the "new" type of NFL QB. Guys with WR/RB athleticism that also have "good" arms (Newton can throw better than Pryor, and makes quicker decisions). Also known as the "Vick" type.

In short...god, please no... I suppose as a 3rd or later it might be worth a shot in hell, but from what I've heard he's not "expected" to go anywhere near that low. IMO there are two QB's that could be available next year that look like NFL studs. Luck (not necessarily 1st), and Landry Jones. We should target one of them somehow. Unfortunately we should be picking around 10, meaning prepare yourselves for the next Whitner/Maybin/McKelvin/Spiller...

By the way, some more notes about Erik Pears... He was Cornell Green's BACKUP in Oakland... The Jags had MAJOR O-line issues last year, and still let Erik Pears go... (Side note, the Steelers also had major O-line questions when they let go of Ubrik a few years ago) After starting in 06 and 07 for denver due to injury to Lepsis, they did not try to keep him. He was asked to gain weight, as he was only 290 lbs last year at 6-8. He is now supposedly over 300. I am not setting out to smash Pears, this is just what I know about the guy. I honestly haven't seen him play much, but I have yet to hear many positives about him.

In theory that sounds good, but he was no star in Denver. I've heard he's been getting beat frequently in camp. In fact his last season as a "starting" tackle, was 2007.

Finding better than what we have shouldn't be that hard should it? Bell is overrated by some, underrated by others IMO. To me he is an average player, which immediately makes him by far the best OT on the team. I am all for looking for improvement, depth at the very least.

Haha. Love it. I think Bell holds his own, but a guy that just "survives" the position isn't exactly something to get excited about. The problem is he also gets injured often, and we apparently have no one even remotely NFL worthy behind him. Let alone on the other side.

I thought the same thing...

Hakeem Nicks? He's leaving the Giants? If you can name 3 players on our roster that should take his place please do. You can't use Steve Johnson because he is already the #1. Not everyone likes Thigpen, but all this guy has done is impress me every time he starts. On a team with a lot less weapons than the Bills at the time, Thigpen had a terrific partial season for KC with Chan Gailey. I think he played 1 game for the fins, and threw a couple of TD's. Plus he's a backup (for now, with the way our o-line is going it is almost certain he will become the starter at some point). Compared to Brohm, Thigpen is an absolute stud. So yeah, it was an upgrade. I was thinking the same thing, it would be a great fit for him. I think the Bills could still use his speed, but if we could get good value for him it might be ok. We do have a lot of depth at WR, just not sure how many could pull of starting.

The bottom line is that our O-line is looking like it could be the worst in the league, Bell or not. Wood and Levitre, are starter quality, but the rest of the group is just a big mix of cross your fingers and pray. And that's if everyone is healthy. Fitzpatrick must be shaking in his boots over the pounding he will take this year. At the very least we should bring someone in to compete, even an old fat one. We need QUALITY starters, but depth at a minimum. The patriots have loaded up on old, but top level pass rushers. The Jets defense is blitz happy...Our rag tag group of young, struggling players is not going to cut it...

Yup, and that there is the problem. It's going to be tough to determine in practice whether our D is getting better, or if its just our junior varsity O-line imploding... Those two are solid IMO, especially Wood. But the rest of the o-line is looking like a horror show without Bell (who is only average). I think he was referring to the line as a whole. 2/5ths of a line won't cut it...

+1 While I expect Dareus to make an impact, I wouldn't necessarily expect him to be getting a ton of sacks and tackles...At least right away. I want to see him hold his ground and clog up running lanes, while occasionally blowing up the backfield. The D-line as whole supposedly has been looking pretty strong. While I have my doubts about Troup, he is supposedly in great shape. Carrington is now weighing in at 304, and Jasper is, well, HUGE...We certainly have bulk now.

+1 Merriman has certainly been looking good, but our real concern is the o-line. While Bell holds his own, I consider him to be only average at best at LT. So when he got hurt I was interested to see if any of our young guys would step up and show something...So far it's been a horror show. While Wood looks good, and Levitre ok, the rest of the line is looking downright awful. Pears, Ubrik, and Wang have all been getting destroyed...All of the sudden the thought of signing even a fat over the hill Mckinnie is starting to sound ok, and Bell is starting to look like a superstar in comparison.

I have said several times that in general I like what Nix/Gailey have been doing. Except for their first draft (with Modrak), I think they have made decent personnel decisions and seem to have a plan. Obviously with a 4-12 team it is tough to magically fix all of the problems at once. There are 2 spots that really have not been addressed...OL/OLB However the last few practices, both what I've seen and heard, are raising some serious red flags. Is it possible our O-line is even worse than I thought it was? I don't think Bell is a star, so when he got hurt I was interested to see if there were any back ups that could step up (Wang for instance). After watching the "backups" play, all the sudden Bell started looking like Orlando Pace in his prime... This offensive line is BAD. Erik Wood seems solid, Levitre is ok, but the rest is looking like a disaster. Someone convince me I'm wrong, and that our O-line is rapidly improving... For the most part our defense does actually look much improved. I think we are deeper and better in the secondary, certainly deeper and better on the D-line. They have been playing well. ILB looks to be ok with the addition of Barnett, along with vets Davis, Torbor, and the rookie Sheppard. The huge concern here is OLB. Merriman has looked surprisingly good so far, and has stayed mostly healthy. Other than him I haven't seen anyone else showing that they can start. The Bills have gone back to Chris Kelsay as the apparent starter on the other side. While I don't hate Kelsay as much as everyone else, I think he should be a situational 4-3 guy maybe 3-4 rusher. Not a starter. The coaches don't seem too impressed by Batten or Moats, they have been playing 6-5 305 lb Alex Carrington at OLB now...So we have a hole on one side, If Merriman gets hurt (obviously the risk is high), we will have serious problems at this position. Again, someone convince me I am just being my pessimistic self, and that we are fine here... Other than that I think the Bills are showing real improvement at all other positions though...

Haha, you know its bad when the only way we can "brag" about our team is to try and find a few teams worse than us...

I definitely don't think the Bills are the worst this year. We might even get a moderately entertaining offense. I think our defense still has a long way to go before we will be competing for a WC though. I am thinking 5-7 win range, maybe 1 or 2 more if our defense makes some strides towards the end of the year. We have great depth at WR, DB, QB(Flame away, but I like Thigpen, especially in this system) We have major holes at LB, OL, and TE. Still trying to find starters, let alone depth. RB we are ok DL ok, with potential to become good. Teams like Seattle, Washington, Cincy, Arizona, Tennessee, Minnesota, Carolina, and Miami all look to be worse off IMO. Remember when we many of us (including myself) were hoping for Shanahan? The mess he is creating down in Washington is starting to make me feel pretty good about Chan/Nix

Only picking 4 KC will have a hard time staying on top of SD again. You could put the Ravens here instead. They battle for the WC spot Seattle, needs no reason... Chicago, they look like they only got better in the offseason, so I am doubtful about this one They obviously have GB to deal with though. Jets, I think they take a step back this year, they made a ton of changes. The Patriots should win the division again, with the Jets getting beat out by the Colts and Ravens (or KC) for the WC. Teams that will take their place? SD - Division St louis -Division Tampa Bay - WC Houston - Division

While I would love to get Andrew Luck next year, Landry Jones also looks like he could be the real deal. Unfortunately I think the Bills are good enough to win 5-7 games this year, putting them back in the 8-11 1st round pick range...That means we will probably miss them both and select the 4th best safety available.... Sorry, just regressed into a pessimism fit...

Torbor has played all of the positions, so that makes sense. Interesting to see Moats in the middle. So it seems as if they are looking at Barnett/Torbor as the middle combo at the moment. I thought Coleman looked decent in a very small sample. For those who hate Kelsey, especially at OLB, they better hope Batten or Coleman can show enough to be starters...Batten has been hyped up, it would be sweet for him to show it on the field.