Bob in STL

I do not consider Fitz to be a franchise QB either but some of what you say applies to all QB. What happens if you take away the two best games from any QB's in a season? All good QBs feast on garbage time. I think you are correct when stating that Fitz's guts and leadership are his best attributes. You can see that the other players play for him. That was very evident when Fewell became the interim HC.

Thank you for the info and the second link. I sure looks like Tim Graham took a few liberties with Buddy's quotes. Relative to trading down Buddy stated (in quotes): "I wouldn't ever say we wouldn't do that," Nix said. "But I never have been one to do a lot of that. I don't like giving up a player, especially if you're sold on one." That means if his guy is there they don't trade down and hope to get him later. It does not mean the does not ever believe in trading down, which was implied. Well, I feel better about that clarification.

There are lots of links referenced in the article and your post doesn't clarify anything. I guess you are saying I should believe your interpretation instead of what Tim Graham actually wrote? I am not too concerned about this issue anyway. If the guy they "covet" at #3 is there then they are taking him (I assume that person is Newton). Otherwise the have two other choices: (1) take the next best player on their board; or (2) trade down. We shall see.

Read the link that the OP provided. Here is some text from it: On the first point, Nix seemed to shoot down that possibility when saying the Bills wouldn't be interested in trading the third pick unless the player they covet is gone once the Bills are on the clock. Nix noted he doesn't believe in moving down. That indicates the Bills will not shop the pick.

The Walker deal is not what I was talking aboiut. Johnson traded down often. The Pats* acquire picks from any position and in way possible. They understand the odds and their draft board evaluation has put Buffalo's to shame for over ten years and counting. For Nix to say he "does not believe in trading down" is just a little bit strange but typical of Buddy.

1973 was not all because of Joe D but you have a great point. How did I forget him?

Good news. Poz is the only decent ILB we have. Chandler - at least he can block as a TE. Whitner --- We simply need to stop replacing our draft choices. Lets come to grips with the fact that Whitner is good, not great, and hopefully he signs for a reasonable amount. I am tired of filling the same holes in the draft. I want to see us draft DL, LB and OL. Not more DBs. Please.

We should say goodbye to all of them.

Good move signing Wilson. Whitner was also tendered.

Some of that talk is Buddy being Buddy. The part of Nix's statement that is most puzzling is why would a guy that is at least 8 starters away from a contender in the AFCE (upgrades are needed to RT, TE, QB, C, DE, DT, OLB, ILB and now S) not want more picks? The player they covet at #3 is going to fill exactly 1 hole. In the case of Spiller last year they did not even accomplish that. Jimmy johnson built the Cowboys by trading for more picks. The pats* are always acquiring extra picks. Not saying Buddy should trade the #3 pick, just saying his tendancy to make blanket statements makes him sound a bit silly. Then again, he told us from the very beginning that he has never been the smartest guy in the room.

True ... and Nix added who to help the defense?

Burnett versus Cribbs - very close. Season Team Rushing Receiving Fumbles G GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost 1966 Buffalo Bills 14 -- 187 766 4.1 -- 4 34 419 12.3 -- 4 -- -- Bobby Burnett 1980 Buffalo Bills 16 -- 306 1,185 3.9 48 11 52 415 8.0 21 1 -- -- Joe Cribbs Burnett won AFL Rookie off he Year and AFL All Star team. Cribbs won consensus UPI AFC Rookie of the Year honors and a spot in the Pro Bowl, the only rookie chosen as a starter that year. I have to vote for Joe. More carries, more yards and more TDs. Very close. (Sorry the editor does maintain the columns I set up.)

Right on. The switch to 3-4 has made the rebuild harder but maybe it will pay dividends soon? We did not have a great defense with the 4-3 either (although they were better than last years unit) I just hope we stop wasting critical draft picks on guys like McCargo, Maybin, and Hardy ... guys that cannot get on the field. Looks like we will be replacing Whitner so there goes another wasted #1 along with Lynch. The Rams loved Saffold last year. I heard Bill polian state that he should have taken him in the first round. (Yes, Bill misses on some picks too).

True. I really don't understand all the talk about our OL being "not that bad". The OTs are weaker now than anytime in franchise history. This showed in our running game YPC, our inability to pick up first downs in short yardage situations, and in our pass blocking against quality defenses. Bell is average at best and we have nothing at RT. That is not hard to see. I suppose Bell can get better with the injury now cleared up. The RT play by Green/Howard/Wrotto/Pears is not NFL caliber and Wang could not get on the field. Should they draft an OT and even in rounds 3 through 5 they are likely to upgrade on the cast of characters we have today. Nix and Gaily are correct in that the defensive front 7 should be the priority. Chan may not be "in tears" over our tackles but that is because our front 7 is so much worse by comparision. There is a lot of work to do to improve this team and to become competitive in the AFCE. It will take three excellent drafts and then some. I tend to agree. Lots of Moats love on this board and he seems like a great youung man with potential. Moats shows some promise getting to the QB but is has to improve against the run and in coverage. So far he is a good special teamer and a good backup/ ocassional pass rusher. He can improve and seems like a hard worker. Today he is not a solid 3 down LB but it will not surprise me if he gets better.

Good one. Unfortunately injuries prevented him from having more good years. His numbers are not as good as Cribbs either. Bad numbers for sure but all they wanted the rookie QB to do was hand off and learn. Back then a rookie QB held a clip board. His numbers are worse than I thought though.

Your lineup is missing a great pass rusher. Solai is the type of signing that would get more that he is actually worth. A very good player that will get great player money. Lets draft a few great players and grow our own.

All excellent choices. Shaw won rookie of the year. Byrd led the league in pics. Cribbs make a big impact. Bennett was an impact player from the start. Butler was great from the start. Some others: Joe Ferguson Shane Conlan, Nate Odomes, and Rueben Brown all had strong rookie seasons too.

Agree that Whitner is a good player but nothing special as he makes very few big plays. This situation is typical of the Buffalo Bills flawed mode of operation for ten years. Reach on a player like Whitner. Then lose him in free agency and have to replace another hole from yet another wasted first round pick. At pick #9 you should at least get a solid starter for years to come. Sanders is probably done if Polian is letting him go. I just hope the Bills do not overpay for him. Atogwe is similar in skill to Whitner. He will no doubt be less hated in Buffalo since he does not carry the #9 pick stigma.

Yeah, all those tackles at the LOS and pressure on the QB would be very odd. We drafted McCargo and Maybin because they "fit our scheme". Lets try drafting good football players instead and then worry about the scheme.

Isn't this exactly what the Bills did with the Whitner pick? Pick a player at 9 that you could have had at 15 was the knock. Solid starter but not a pro bowler like a 9 should be according to the experts? Sound familiar. If the Bills pick this guy at 3 this board will melt down.

In order of who I would keep. Keep: Williams, Troup, Moats, Carrington, Byrd, Florence, McKelvin, Poz, McGee, Scott, Corner and Wilson Maybe, it depends: Whitner, Johnson, Davis, Edwards, Merriman, Corto, Heard and Batten Lose: McCargo, Maybin, Stroud, Ellison, Youboty, Ayodele, Torbor, Kelsey

The owners signed a bad deal. Ralph Wilson knew it and they ignored him and listened to guys like Jones and Synder. Now they regret the deal. When Ralph told the media that they did not understand the deal he was right. They made it seem like Ralph was stupid. Guess not.

I don't know a thing about this guy but given our run defense we need to load up and improve our talent on DL and LB. They need to bring in better players. Now we have Williams and Troup, why not make DL an area of strenght? We have not had a really dominant DL since the mid 60's. That is sad.

Agree, it is getting more exciting and I like what I see from the Sabres lately. I want the Bills to adress the front 7 but they just might pick a DB in round 1. They could even pick a WR if they follow the BPA credo so be prepared. Last year I was at an Irish Pub in Chicago when I saw them pick Spiller. I was surprised.