Straight Hucklebuck

Baltimore has the reigning MVP, multiple rugged backs, one of the best secondaries in the NFL and just upgraded numerous pieces in their Front 7 defensively. They also have an experienced GM, steady ownership and a Super Bowl winning Veteran Coach. The Bills are not in their league yet.

I think a few things. 1. I liked the Bills strategy in this draft. I agree with you that finally the Bills have a team with quality depth (outside of Linebacker), so it’s not the old days of Nate Clements walks, so now there is a hole at cornerback, or Jason Peters is traded and so now we have Demetress Bell playing LT. The old Bills would have taken cornerbacks you’ve never heard of in the second round, taken Centers and tried to convert them into Guards, take large Safeties and put them at Linebacker. 2. So competition now defines the offense. We have Diggs, Beasley, Brown, Foster, Williams, McKenzie, Roberts, Davis and Hodgins all fighting for their place in the pecking order. Can Knox take a stranglehold on the Tight End room? I’m glad we did not do what the Saints did and give up 3-4 picks for a decent Tight End. The Bills kept Gore on the field last year because they wanted his physical style, now they have a 22 year old that plays that way, not Chris Ivory, Mike Tolbert or 97 year old Frank Gore. We’ve got a million lineman now that can compete for 8 jobs. Barkley isn’t going to handed the backup job. So far the Beane/McDermott regime has fumbled the backup QB position with guys like McCarron, Peterman, Anderson. And Barkley stunk last year when forced to play. Fromm can come in and see if he can displace Barkley. A guy from a big college, 3 years, some nice wins. Peterman didn’t work, talking guys out of retirement doesn’t work (Orton, Anderson), taking other teams backups and making them compete doesn’t work (Kolb, Holcomb), resurrecting careers doesn’t work (Brohm). 3. Speaking of which, the Bills did two things I liked. All their picks Rounds 2, 3, 4, 5 and Hodgins in the 6th produced big numbers in college. So they stopped with the projecting and just got players who dominated on tape. Also, they didn’t draft 23 and 24 year olds. They got a few guys who are 21, the rest 22 and have not played their best football yet. They weren’t dipping for Special Teams only guys in the 3rd and 4th Round. 4. don’t think we have to anoint Allen. He needs to improve by NFL standards now, not just improvement compared to himself. I don’t think we can kick our feet up and think the QB position is solved. Yes Allen improved, and willed the Bills to some gutsy victories. But he had a defense that held opponents to 16.2 ppg and the schedule and QBs on that schedule were weak. The Bills finally have invested heavily in the offense. No more pop gun football hoping to wait for a mistake by the other team and win 17-13. Allen needs to make a jump, otherwise he is the piece holding the team back. Nice guy, great competitor, but I don’t think he’s done enough with the fumbling and high stakes games to close the door. And that’s a protective mechanism from the old days. We want to feel good about what’s going on so we call the search for a franchise QB over too quickly, our old GM called Fitz a franchise QB, fans sided with Marrone when Steve Johnson was traded for running irregular touts, some fans made post after post about Tyrod being the guy. We’ll know if Allen gets there when the Bills get out of the teens in scoring and Allen starts putting up more than an occasional dominant performance. The Bills FO has upgraded the talent significantly, without making the offense too old.

Hopefully he can be a Steve Johnson type WR for the Bills. Double moves and exceptional route running with the hands. Steve Johnson was by no means a burner, I think 4.54 in the 40-yard, but he could get open on Revis and Sherman. You could not cover that man on a slant. I like that the Bills focused on real college production. These are not tools kinds of picks with no production on the field. Even Fromm, quarterbacked a real SEC school to wins.

Well yes, I said this because some fans were bummed with Davis over Golden in the 4th, but we just took a WR with the same size, same speed but route running and catch ability. Just brought two guys with 2,300 yards and 24 TDs receiving last year into the room? A go specialist and a route runner.

There is your 6’4” 4.60 40-yard dash Antonio Gables Golden clone and huge college production again. Great hands, speed limited.

100% agree. The Bills have dug through trash bins for years trying to get quarterbacks. Talked two QBs out of retirement, took other people’s backups and tried to make them starters, took busts (Brohm) and have them a whirl. Peterman didn’t work as a 5th Rounder, try again with a guy from a bigger school.

That’s an overused stereotype. How many bad weather games does Buffalo actually play in. And so far our rifle armed starter doesn’t generate as many deep throws as perceived.

Bills are checking all the boxes for me. A 21 year old DE to improve the aging DE rotation, check. A productive RB to pair with Singletary, check. A productive WR with some size, without giving up all speed. Now a QB from a major program to compete with Barkley. I really like this pick. Our depth across the board is improving, with three picks on offense. The Bills still need a LB.

Antonio Golden and Gabriel Davis seem a lot the same. Golden has the higher grade on ESPN but he is flagged for speed, and all his Scouting reports note speed as borderline. Davis seems a tick faster and is a vertical specialist. I don’t see much difference between the two actually. They both project as #4 WR sub package specialists.

I like the pick again. He has some size without compromising a ton on speed at 4.54. But keeping with the theme so far with Epenesa and Moss, he has big time college production and is young. Good job Bills once again. I think we need a linebacker, but so far check all the boxes for me. DE, #2 back with pop, and now a larger ball pointing WR with college production, not some project. NFL had him as a 4th and that’s where he went, appropriate value.

I think the Bills should try and find another athletic outside linebacker who was productive in college. I like Carter Coughlin.

I agree with you, Colts for not having a 1st Rounder added two nice pieces to their offense in Pittman and Taylor. I think the Lions are doing well. Regardless of whether a CB at #3 is smart, they landed Okudah, Swift, Okwara and Jonah Jackson. The Vikings are also getting good value every pick. Jefferson fell to them, Gladney, Cleveland into the 3rd and Dantzler. And finally, Cleveland is adding talent and depth to their roster. Willis Jr is the OT they needed, Delpit the Safety, Elliott was value at DT and an LSU linebacker. They have talent and depth everywhere on their roster.

Two solid, big time college producers at positions of need. Good job Bills.

Nice job Bills. Two solid draft choices, with tons of college production at positions of need. Depth is what this team needed and they’re filling in those gaps now.

Detroit is having a nice draft. Good players everywhere, with some upside picks.

I like that he is young, 21. When you look at our defensive ends, they’re all old. At 6’5” 280 he gives us some versatility. I like the pick. Productive, played at a Big School in a Big Conference. Got better as his career went along. We need a linebacker too.

I like the pick, the Bills are T H I N at DE. Murphy is old, Addison is old, Hughes is old, so we needed a piece. And at his size we also get some run stuffing ability.

Well did Singletary show enough last year to where he is the unquestioned starter? They didn’t use him much in the beginning of the year although he was productive, then he got hurt, then the Bills seemingly phased out Gore only to give him 8 carries in the Playoff game. To me, that position is not set in stone. The Bills get Dobbins and he beats out Singletary as the starter, that’s fine to me.

I look through the available and really can’t decide if I have a favorite. I think the Bills could use another DE, or LB, but if an elite S or WR falls to them that’s okay too, and of course RB.

Absolutely not. We don’t need another 30+ year old back that the Coaches are reverent to, sucking up critical carries for no yards ala Frank Gore in the Playoff Game. Listening to John Murphy talk about how LeSean knows his place in this league, and how he deserves 10 carries a game.

You’re right, the last 5 drafts after the great 2014 Draft, many 1st Round WR’s busted or under achieved.

Yes you’re right. And Diggs plays outside.

Bills fans, classic

“looks great” Agree he has been a breath of fresh air compared to Nix, Brandon, Marv and Modrak.

Trolls, yeah those trolls sure have been proven way wrong over the years with all those Playoff wins since 1995.