Bill from NYC

I didn't see the game. Was Spiller called upon to block at all? Also, how was Glenn? Thanks.

I can understand this. A thing to do would be to look at previous drafts in which the Bills used their best picks on running backs and/or defensive backs, and look at the players that they passed up in key, hard to fill positions. This will explain the 12 year playoff drought. 2006 stands out as the worst offseason that a GM could possibly have. And remember, Levy was on Sirius talking of how he too spurned numerous offers to trade down. He completely blew the first 4 rounds, and gave away an early 3rd in the process. And let's not forget the dumb ufa signings, but I digress. I am one of the few that didn't like the Gilmore selection. BUT, I didn't get as angry this time around because it does have a chance at being a good pick due to the major improvements up front. I make the case that even an exceptional Gilmore would not win us games with Kelsay, Troup, and Carrington as starting linemen. His skills would be wasted imo. And, btw, you left out Dareus while listing the def. linemen that the Bills drafted. He took over the Redskin game as a rookie (I know, they had injured blockers), and won it for us. And Glenn might be a steal, who knows? In any event, things do seem to be looking up. Jauron was as bad a head coach as one could imagine. Imo he could not win much under any conditions. I believe that Gailey is a very good, modern offensive mind, I hope that this Bills team is strong enough, and well suited to play in the elements. At least this season, it appears to be possible.

What I'm saying is that the Bills got some good production from defensive backs who weren't necessarily first round picks, or in the case of AW, the second pick of round 2. Remember, after the 2011 draft, it was Nix who said that they had, "multiple trade down offers in every round." Last season, the Giants drafted a corner in round 1. He was injured for the bulk of the season. They won the superbowl anyway, primarily due to their great defensive line. It is a wonderful thing that the Bills finally devoted major resources to their DL. As for drafting dbs every year, this isn't necessarily something that I am against. But before doing so with early selections, a team should be stocked with linemen on both sides, and a solid QB. Jmo.

He might. He could also nose out A. Williams. It isn't impossiible. History has taught Bills fans that wasting prime resources on defensive backs doesn't mean that they will be all that good, or actually result in wins. In fact, the contrary stands out.

Evans was, imo, a one trick pony. He was a speedster. I remember him lobbying for Losman at qb, who was also a one trick pony. He threw an occasional deep ball. The two of them helped each other statistically, but they didn't win football games. Evans had blinding speed, and good (not exceptional) hands. So, what stood in his way of being s superstar? QB? A case could be made for this, but again, Losman could find him deep sometimes. I think what held him back was his inability to consistently get open, and I noticed this after he left. Players such as SJ, Nelson, and others do not have the pure speed of Evans, but they get open a lot more, or so it seems. KTD is right. I don't know as much about the Bills as does Fred Jackson. But I make the case that even before Evans lost a step, it was hard for him to shake coverage on pass routes, other than the occasional long bomb.

Who knows? They very well might have. LTs are still worth their weight in gold, yet no other team made a better offer to Bell. As I recall, he didn't even get this small (by LT standards) contract until Jason Peters got hurt. But perhaps Bell and his agent truly believed that he would cash in and get paid even the average salary for a starting LT. The truth is, Bills fans are great. If a player shows hints of ability, we will support him. Bell was very agile. But he is small, weak by LT standards, and constantly injured.He showed flashes of good play, and for this we had to wait several years. And for the most part, Bills fans supported him. I am not the biggest Nix fan on the board in terms of his drafts. Imo, the only "can't miss" player in the first 2 Nix drafts would appear to be Dareus. I have high hopes for a few others, one of who believe it or not is DB Justin Rogers.Yep, imo Nix continues the tradition of devoting too many resources to the secondary, and of course running backs. That said, he has brought in NUMEROUS free agents that have improved the football team. If he turns out to be correct wrt his assessment of Bell, Nix deserves yet another tip of the cap.

Sure. The police shouldn't be wasting their time on 20 year old drinkers. These resources should be put to good use, such as arresting cigarette smokers.

Then if he sell 100,000 steaks in a real hurry, he will be just fine.

Yes you were. As you might recall, I was more skeptical of Glenn because of the limited time he spent at LT in college. That said, he must have played quite well in camp for him to start over a more experienced Hairston. Many expect Hairston to be moved to starting RT. I would be surprised if this happens. The Bills seem to like Pears. They gave him a new contract, and Dareus said that Pears belonged in the probowl. Glenn, at his size, will have an easier time with running plays than on passing downs early on. That said, I sure hope that FJ stays healthy.

This IS a major concern.

Raise your hand if you didn't think the wide receiver position was going to be a weakness? The jets wideouts are worse than ours, but surely ours are towards the bottom in the league. Maybe Chad's intricate play calling can free them up. This is what I am hoping. We had the opportunity to address this need a bit more in the draft, but alas, we went with yet another db. I hope Gilmore fares better than our large group of first round defensive back busts. And while we are there, some production from A. Williams wouldn't hurt either.

Sadly, the above comment is quite appropriate. The previous regime had some of the worst drafts that one could imagine, to the point that 14 year old fans with a couple of draft magazines could have done a better job. And, they brought in free agents who were worthless and expensive. This is not to mention the coaching, which was brutally awful. Things would have been even worse for us last season were it not for the fact that Gailey, unlike Jauron, actually knows how to coach a football game. What we really do need, obviously, is to make the playoffs this year.

OK, fair enough. Most of us are probably a bit TOO passionate about this team, ya know? And yes, the bpa vs need thing is trite, if not fully explained, and this would take page after page to do so. In terms of the draft, I give emphasis to the positions at which it is extremely hard to get great players. This of course would be QB, LT, and pass rushing DE. But, a player such as Dareus, if he gets even better, can make life great for a DE, and I think that this had some influence in terms of MW signing with us. So there are plenty of factors, and I see this. Btw, wrt the steelers, imo a big reason for their success is that they play to their climate. They have a tough qb with a strong arm, and big, strong players on their defensive front. Now, they are trying to shore up their line. It looks like Nix is trying to follow suit. I hope so. I have Bills PTSD from Jauron/Levy lol.

I'm unsure as to why your tone is so defensive and bordering on hostile. You cited "bpa," and switched to "value," which btw is also quite hypothetical. But this is fine. SJB, we are just talking football. It would suck if we couldn't point out facts, and even theories to each other. We don't need a pure consensus. Dialogue is the thing in a place like this.

I disagree with the above. Pitt has had problems with their OL for a few years, this with a star qb to protect. Let's look at their drafts: 2009 - 2nd round OL (btw, Kraig Urbik) 2010 - 1st and 5th round OL 2011 - 2nd and 5th round OL 2012 - 1st and 2nd round OL Btw, this is a huge part of why the Steelers are strong, and I like their philosophy. My point is that the entire "bpa" thing in general is far from etched in stone. When a team has true needs, they must be addressed. If not, said team will wind up like the Bills of the article you posted about the final cuts. A team that puts it's resources into dbs and rbs, is void of talent, and loses football games.

Thanks for a wonderful thread. It isn't a big surprise either coming from a long term great guy such as you. This site was here for me through some of the best and toughest times of my life. It has enabled me to make personal friends, something that isn't really so easy for me to do. And, it has provided me with a forum to express my views week to week on a passion of mine, the Buffalo Bills football team. Yes, there are posters that I truly do miss. Some of them, such as Badolbilz and Lori, know more about this team, and even football in general, than most noted "experts." And where is "stuck in cincy?" In summary, I thank SDS and the mods for doing the work. They provided the opportunity for friendships and dialogue. Maybe we will win some day. It could happen. Then, we will look back upon the days of sorrow, frustration and even anger. I will do so fondly and appreciatively. Thanks again for a great post, and being a long term friend, and may God bless you and your loved ones. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You see, the bolded above is not true. Losman did try short passes. He would drill them in 110 miles per hour, throw them into the ground like infield practice, or toss them into the stands. Every time he rolled right was a disaster waiting to happen. In this thread you continue to blast Edwards, and I don't blame you. He was a failure. But let's also keep it real in terms of Losman. He too was an awful quarterback, and Edwards, as bad as he really was, had more wins than JP in fewer starts.

Losman always got praise, and always had an army of excuse makers. I am 100% positive that some posters still think he will be good.....some day. You know how I know this? Because I was like this with Rob Johnson, who had an even better skill set than Losman. It took me a long time to get past the arm, mobility, etc. and realize that RJ was simply an inadequate NFL QB. The worst part about JP was that he couldn't deliver wins. The Bills won very few of his starts, and the fumble against the Jets epitomized his horrid career. For all of his limitations, and they were many, Edwards was clearly superior to Losman, who was brutally awful.

I can tell you mine concerns..... Using early picks on defensive backs simply has not worked for us. This is beyond dispute. And, imo we are not strong at LB. If this particular player can break this obvious, contimuous pattern, I too will eat crow.

Thank you my friends! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your point is taken, but again, KW got a big contract extension and they used a #3 on Dareus. As others have said, this team appears to have been constructed to play in the elements, late in the year. And, to be able to pound the ball on the ground. We shall see how it all unfolds, but it will be, imo, a different brand of football. One we have been deprived of for many years.

Of course not. But his presence will make life much easier for Dareus and KW. Of course, the opposite applies as well.

Let's not get crazy.

Before the rule changes, it was VERY important to run the football, and stop the other team from doing so. This was, in most cases, the key to championships. Yes I know, the 49ers were an exception to some degree. Lately, passing stats are through the roof. Accepting the above as a given, let's take a look at the direction Nix has chosen. Nix dedicated HUGE resources to the DL. He signed 2 expensive free agents, extended KW's contract (Nix did this, right?), and used a #3 draft selection on a player who is hell to run against. And, KW is no slouch against the run in his own right. On offense, we are fielding at LT and LG (assuming Glenn starts), 2 second round picks on the left side. Both of them could have easily gone in round 1. Additionaly, we have a first round center, and a right side composed of mauling types. Nix used the 9th pick of a draft for Spiller (already having a very good back in FJ), and we don't have any spectacular receivers, nor a field stretching TE. And our QB, while efficient, is not considered "elite." If this sounds like criticism, it isn't. I like almost all of these moves, as well as the philosophy. The Bills play in the elements (as do 2 of our divisional opponents), and there will be times when passing won't be much of an option. Gailey, while not young, is more "modern" than Nix imo. He runs a very complex, new era offense. The old school/new school thing just might work. Bottom line? If the defense stays healthy, I think we might be a bit more conservative on offense this year. More running, and less risky passes that wound up being intercepted. I do trust Gailey to come up with some creative passing strategies, but hope that we will be in a poition to pound it out on the ground a bit more. If the Bills don't have all the pieces in place this year, I would be more than OK to watch them pound the s*&t out of their opponents, utilize home field advantage, and make the playoffs. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very sorry for your loss.