Prickly Pete

Why do so many people want to automatically throw a first pick at whatever problem the Bills have? The first pick is best used on a great prospect, not your biggest problem. They already have a really good LT, and the other O-line problems can be taken care of without necessarily using the 9th overall pick. I think the Bills are fortunate in this way, in that they just need one player to complete each area.. Their major problem areas can all be upgraded to "average" without reaching with the first pick, or using a high pick foolishly. O-line - get a decent lineman. Another backup wouldn't hurt either. They are out there (maybe even already in Buffalo, but haven't developed yet. It can take a while). CB - They need depth. Can't have a guy like Justin Rogers out there, getting picked on, and ruining the rest of the season. There are decent guys out there every off season. A veteran FA with a little gas in the tank would work fine, and there is always one of those guys out there. Inside Linebacker - Again, there is a run-stuffing specialist out there somewhere, that won't break the bank. WR/TE - they need a big guy that can operate well in the red zone. Again, a specialist type receiver can work. If there is a great prospect that can fill one of these holes, wonderful. But any one of them can be upgraded to a decent level without a top pick. Find the guy that will have the biggest impact on the team.

Thanks. I do appreciate you posting these, too!

I had assumed he had a few plays in the red zone at some point, and I think he will be good. It's just that I don't think he will expand on what the offense can do. I think they can get a "specialist" type player without using the 9th pick on it. I think they can fix pretty much any of their problems that way. Mostly I want them to get the best player they can, at whatever position. Maybe that would be Watkins.

No I didn't. I watched "official highlights", an "unofficial highlights", and all his plays against Georgia. Not one play in the red zone. It appears he made one play in the red zone in 2013...great. Thanks Flap. Edit: I just watched the highlights, and that was a 30 yard pass...outside the "red zone". Nice catch though. Awesome! Knock yourself out, it's always good for a hoot, even after all these years. They both sucked, beginning to end. Trentative was ALWAYS tentative, WAAYYYY before "the hit". JP was "the Loss Man" right when he got off the plane.

It takes one QB to make a line look quality. I agree, the line needs improvement, but as has been argued for years here, the QB position has been the root of the problem. And don't tell me the QB's sucked because of the line. None of them went to other teams and had success.

Oh, please.

I posted this elsewhere, but I'll post it again. The Bills have fast guys that get open pretty well, not spectacular, but adequate (whether anyone gets them the ball is a different topic). The main receiving problem is in the red zone, especially the END ZONE (ranked 29th...they sucked, and it cost them games). There aren't many "soft spots" there because there isn't much space. That's where you need a guy that can fight for the ball...Sammy Watkins isn't that guy. I have watched a few highlight vids...I have yet to see him catch a pass in the red zone (saw him drop one)... it's obviously not a strength of his. The Bills need a guy that can go up to catch a fade pass in the end zone, or fight off a Db on a comeback at the goal line pylon, or go up for a pass under the post at the back of the end zone. Sammy ain't that guy. The chart also shows that most of his receptions (by far, 57%!) are screens. These Bills don't run many screens, but even if they did, they have guys that can do them well already. To me it's about expanding on what the Bill's offense can do (bringing in guys with skills the team doesn't have).

Not sure how the average fan can judge whether or not a QB coach is any good. I guess whatever team has a good QB, has a good QB coach? Is it the player, or the coach, where is the credit dished out? Is Andrew Luck's coach great? Is it Harbaugh or Geep Chryst (or Kaepernik) for the 49'ers? How are you guys measuring QB coaches? I was thinking about the linebacker coach that got fired. Was it his fault, or were the guys he had to work with sub-par? Should the team just fire any coach whose unit didn't perform well? Should the DB coach be fired because Justin Rogers blew the season early? Should the O-line coach be canned because Legursky sucked? Not sure how we fans can draw conclusions.

The Bills have fast guys that get open pretty well, not spectacular, but adequate (whether anyone gets them the ball is a different topic). The main receiving problem is in the red zone, especially the END ZONE (ranked 29th...they sucked, and it cost them games). There aren't many "soft spots" there because there isn't much space. That's where you need a guy that can fight for the ball...Sammy Watkins isn't that guy. I have watched a few highlight vids...I have yet to see him catch a pass in the red zone. Saw him drop one, but it's obviously not a strength of his. The Bills need a guy that can catch a fade pass in the end zone, or fight off a Db on a comeback at the goal line pylon, or go up for a pass under the post at the back of the end zone. Sammy ain't that guy.

Who do you think will get the job instead?

I don't see Watkins fighting for the ball much. He would get open and make nice catches, but in the NFL a good receiver has to be able to fight for the ball, and coverage will be much tighter. I think he will be good, but not worth the 9th pick.

Would not make that trade.

He is as good as gone.

Has Peyton Manning been sending photos of his penis to young Broncos' employees? Favre made complete jackass out of himself. He was great, but not top 5 all-time great.

I have a feeling this is a "Yahoo headline" style, hit generator. In other words, Mortenson asks some "NFL Executive" (That could be a wide range of people) what he thinks of Ryan as a head coach, and the answer includes something negative about his hair. So then Mortenson starts asking other "executives" specifically about his hair. All it takes is one guy to say "Yeah, that could be part of the reason why" and now the headline can read "NFL Executives say Ryan's Hair is a problem". Great, time to see if it will generate some "hits".

At the top of the draft, you take the best players, not fill holes. There are Guards, run-stuffing LB's, tall "red zone" WR's etc., that can be brought in without using their top pick. The Pats are the perfect example...they know what each player can do, and give them specific tasks, and use them for certain situations. Their talent on defense (especially with all these injuries) isn't better than the Bills. I bet Belichick would swap defensive personnel STRAIGHT UP, in a minute.

I put Elway with Marino on that next level down (not a huge gap, to me). I think Elway was great! Just not quite at that magical level (Manning might fall a bit short of the others there too, actually).

I agree that these things have to be considered. But for instance with Graham how much of his success had to do with the fact that pass defending wasn't really developed or understood at that time? Yes, it was revolutionary, but are we talking about great QB's or great strategists? I think all kinds of factors have to be considered, but it's silly to compare guys from completely different eras.

+3

This is just silly. Most coaches would get rid of an undrafted player if his behavior (I have no idea if this was the case with Rogers) was challenging the coach's authority, or in any way undermining what the coach was trying to get across to the rest of the team. And none of this "a good coach works with these talented but troubled players" nonsense....they have plenty of other "troubled but talented" guys on the team. EVERY team has that going on. The Bills didn't shirk their responsibility by releasing him. Again, for all we know, Roger might have ASKED to be cut. The Bills just decided that he wasn't worth keeping right now. The Colts signed him, and he caught a few passes. If getting rid of Rogers IN ANY WAY helps establish Marrone's authority, it was a good decision!

Would it have been crazy for the Chargers to kick a field goal as soon as they got into field goal range (on the drive where they last scored, after the onside kick)? They needed 2 scores anyway, and they just used up more time (but ended up with a field goal anyway).

I feel the same way. The off season is always full of frustration. But hey look! They re-signed Brian Moorman!

Sounds good. One Hogan in the hand, is worth two Da'Rick's in the bush.

Perhaps the topic should have a new title then?

Every team balances somewhere between those extremes (usually), and the Bills have other players that fit the "developmental" mold, Da'Rick just isn't one of them. It wasn't that big of a decision, or somehow indicative of complete incompetence in the Bills organization. No one even knows all the reasons why he was released, so there are conclusions being drawn based on rampant speculation. Silliness...