TigerJ

While I liked some of the things that Tyrod can do, I have no longing to have him as my backup QB. I think if you have to resort to using Tyrod for any length of time, you have to change your offense, because he has something of a specialized skill set. Fitz can also do some good things. I wouldn't mind having him as my backup, but I'd just as soon keep Barkley. I'm sure Barkley has some negatives. I haven't followed his career beyond hearing he didn't have a great arm coming out of USC. His sample size with the Bills is too small to make any definitive assessment, but he hasn't given me any reason not to like him.

The selection of Cody Ford certainly changes the dynamics of the offensive line. He immediately becomes the odds on favorite to start on the right. Fortunately he looks like he has the chance to be an exception to the generality that Shaw cites in that he had a very high level of coaching at Oklahoma and does lots of things well. He's not going to look like a typical rookie lineman. It throws Nsekhe's status into uncertainty. I think he was the presumptive starter at RT until Ford was drafted. I think now the thinking is he might compete with Dawkins at LT. That's where he's most comfortable in any case. Morse at center is a given. I think Long is probably in the lead at RG. He would be competing against Feliciano. Feliciano is tough guy, a mauler, but I think Long has a better rounded skill set, and he is more technically proficient. Spain might be in the lead at LG, but I'm not counting out Teller yet. He wasn't great last season as a rookie, but he had enough bright spots to suggest he can improve.

Oliver needs to teach the rest of the bunch how to handle ornery horses. Then we can call them the "horse rasslers."

I think the Bills are better than that, but I'm not going to complain. The enjoyment of watching them rise as they win games during the season will make the low ranking now worth it.

I don't disagree with the love for Nick Easley, but despite the doubt that exists about whether the Bills have a "true #1 receiver" it is a fairly crowded room. Obviously, John Brown and Cole Beasley have spots locked up. I can't believe that Robert Foster won't make the team. Buffalo also signed a pro bowl return guy in Andre Roberts. Granted, he probably won't get a lot of touches in the receiving game, but he is listed as a WR, and would if he makes the team require a roster spot. Will the Bills give up on Zay Jones? I'm not convinced of that. That's five guys already, and there's not much size yet in that group. The only big receivers on the roster are Duke Williams, the CFL signee, and David Sills. I could see Buffalo wanting to keep one of those guys for the size factor. The bottom line is, it's going to be a tall order for him to make the 53 man roster. It may be the best he can hope for is a spot on the PS.

I have heard coaching staffs say that very little evaluation and decision making goes on in OTAs and minicamp. The spring is for teaching, especially new guys on the team. For veterans, a lot may be review, but when you have a new coach (Bobby Johnson - offensive line coach) he will have his own nuances and ideas that he will need to to introduce even to the few holdovers on the offensive line. Yes, training camp is where lineup decisions and the development of chemistry and cohesion will need to take place, but the longer it takes to set the starting lineup, the less time will be available for the development of chemistry/cohesion. That was actually part of the problem last year. That's why I hope Bobby Johnson/Daboll/McDermott can settle on a starting 5 quickly.

That's my big concern with the O-line. With so many new faces, it's going to take a while to figure out the best combination, but they need to get that figured out quickly so they can work at developing chemistry and becoming a cohesive unit. How do you accomplish both objectives? The good news is the guys they signed are all pretty smart players. Even the guy they drafted, Ford is very smart and technically proficient. That should help accelerate the learning curve.

Jerry Hughes is certainly and intense player, and that results in an occasional penalty, but I don't think that makes him less of a McDermott type player. An extension is going to come down to cost versus anticipated production. Some people thought Buffalo should have drafted an edge rusher fairly high in the just completed draft. Since they didn't, it puts off dealing with a possible vacuum at the position for the time being. Buffalo did sign a value free agent at edge rusher in Eli Harold. Harold is a little on the light side, but he does have some potential, and he's still young at 25. Then, of course, there is Darryl Johnson, the draft pick. He's very raw, coming from a division 2 school, but he's got some nice physical traits and dominated that level of competition. He's not going to do much this year, but maybe in 2020, he'll be ready to make some noise. I fully expect and edge rusher to get drafted next year.

I think Anderson is good with film study. He's also been a ready source of insight when Allen has needed to talk with someone. I know he gained from Anderson's command of the huddle. It's hard to know how much of that can translate to being a coach., that the youngsters can't get from Ken Dorsey or Matt Barkley. I think you'd have to be part of the organization to get a feel for that.

I don't see ha heavy rotation as being a problem. Oliver is a 280 lb defensive tackle. As such, I think he needs to be spelled periodically to maintain his effectiveness. His value is not in being an iron man, but in being incredibly disruptive when he is playing.

I think Tyree has upside, but there are clearly things he needs to fix, like his delivery. Josh Allen might have benefited from a year on the bench. Tyree Jackson surely will. Two years might even be better.

One of the criticisms of Sills is that he has a thin build and is not great at fighting for 50/50 balls, not is he fast enough to use speed to get separation. Duke Williams has a slower 40 time, but he is a whole lot more physical. The winner of that competition is far from a sure thing.

I don't know what's going to happen with Derek Anderson. Clearly, he has more value as a mentor to Josh Allen and possibly Tyree Jackson than as a player, but the Bills already have a QB coach. If the Bills wanted to make DA a coach, they had an opportunity back in January. He could have some value as a third string emergency QB. Tyree Jackson is not ready for that role IMO. It would be somewhat out of the box thinking, but I suppose he could retire and they could keep him on as an assistant QB coach or something to help mentor the youngsters, then if in the unfortunate circumstance where both Allen and Barkley were injured and out for an extended period, (multiple games) Anderson could unretire again.

There are posters here who jump all over other Bills fans. I'm pretty sure that those who jumped on you are a small minority. Interestingly, there were other Bills picks I liked a lot more than Devin Singletary, though I'm hopeful that his skill set of elusiveness can offset his lack of straightline speed. Just looking over Green Bay's draft, I thought overall they did a nice job. It is pretty heavy on defense as you note. Rashan Gary is a high risk/high reward player. Sternberger is not the most athletic of tight ends, but he's not bad and has been very productive. Jenkins is going to step into the offensive line and start, while Dexter Williams has high upside.

This appears to have zero effect on the Giants as far as Ballantine's participation in off season team activities training cam and the upcoming season. A far as I can see, there is no implication of Ballantine doing something he shouldn't have been doing. It tough for the Washburn team and the University, and much harder on the family of Dwayne Simmons, the kid who was killed.

I find it a little irritation to be projected that high in the draft. I'm counting on making the playoffs.

I think Jarrett Stidham is one of the Patriots' draft picks. He needs some development, but he has the skill set to have a nice high ceiling if he develops to his potential. I hope the Patriots fall flat on their smug faces at some point but Buffalo can't count on that. They need to plan on getting better themselves and beat the Patriots at the top of their game if need be.

I believe he doesn't count toward the 90 man training camp limit, but I don't think the exemption extends to the 53 man roster. He may not count toward the PS limit.

I'm not sure about that tactic, but he does need to hit the weights hard and stick to a 5000 calorie diet for a while. I wish I needed to do that. I could be a grand champion at eating. I like things that are good for me My only problem is, I like them too much. I doubt Johnson makes a huge contribution this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he came back next season at about 270.

Sills gives Buffalo their second big receiver, after Duke Williams. I'll be surprised if they don't end up with at least 1 size receiver on their final roster.

I like his height. Obviously not super fast or explosive off the edge and a lower level of competition. It will be interesting to see if he can develop some explosion and speed with NFL strength and conditioning training. It's safe to think he didn't have world class strength and conditioning work in college.

Sounds more like depth on the weak side than anything else. That will give him some time to grow his football IQ.

I say no just because trading players is far less common in a draft than trading picks only. It could happen. I'm just not expecting it.

I think Dawkins will face some competition at LT, but I don't think the Bills have necessarily given up on him. Cody Ford is strictly a RT/G prospect. Generally teams carry 8-9 offensive linemen. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. At this point I see Morse, Dawkins, Ford, Long and Nsekhe making the 53 man roster for sure. That's five guys. That means you've got Feliciano, Spain, Teller, Bodine, Boettger and Waddle competing for 3 or 4 spots. I'm not even counting Ducasse, McDermott or Sirles. I assume they are as good as gone. Morse starts at center. Bodine is a natural center, who can also play guard. Feliciano is a natural guard, who can also play center. Despite a disastrous stint at center for the Jets (when he tried to play through an injury) Long is reasonably adapt at either. Spain and Teller are probably looked at mostly as guards. Nsekhe is a natural tackle who has played a little guard. Ford can play either tackle or guard. I think Waddle is pretty much a pure tackle. The versatility of so many of these guys makes sorting it all out a bit complicated. I think Teller will get a real shot to impress the coaches in order to earn a second year. I'm sort of doubtful that Bodine hangs on. Boettger as a UDFA last year has a real uphill climb to make the roster. I think Morse is probably the only consensus starter. That makes for a lot of sorting out to do in training camp.

I'd like to see another WR with size. I think Ed Oliver is going to help the pass rush quite a bit. Not only will he be more disruptive than Kyle Williams was at the end of his career, (and I love Kyle Williams) his elite skill set and athleticism is going to pull attention away from Jerry Hughes. Hopefully, Shaq Lawson will continue to improve on the other side, and maybe with another year removed from his injury, Buffalo can get something from Trent Murphy.