Bill from NYC

From what they are saying on Sirius, Manning had no say in any of the decisions. In all probability he will not play in Indy. If he plays, I think he will go to the Jets.

Mine too, but even the above would require a great draft, and a free agent or 2 who could immediately contribute, and keeping our important ufas.

I like him a lot, and Hightower too will be great imo. Again, Barnett is the only credible starting LB on the roster imo. This really is crazy, and I just can't see how we can win a majority of our games if this isn't corrected.

This is a very good article and I thank you for it. The truth is, I have no idea how KW will fit on this team, nor do I know what his health status is or will be. He does make quite a bit of money, as did Lee Evans, ya know? Now PLEASE, do not take the above to mean that I advocate the Bills trading Kyle Williams. I do not. But what I do know is that strange things can happen with highly paid players at OBD.

I absolutely agree, and don't even consider it close. And he would be WAY better if he had more than one credible linebacker behind him.

He does the same 40 time as LaMarr Woodley.

Why do you (and others) think that Kyle Williams can play at DE in any formation? He is a short, penetrating DT. A good player mind you, but a DE? Sorry, I can't see it. Jmo.

As I stated in the other post, pass rushers, qb, and LT are the hardest positions to fill. This is almost beyond dispute. I am going to label Fitz as a "good" quarterback. We have no pass rush at all and big questions at LT. The chances of getting a high quality free agent pass rusher or LT are virtually non-existant. The Bills traded an all pro LT. Other teams simply do not. In a worst case scenario teams will franchise these guys, and do so at a discount rate (all OL grouped together). In other words, it ain't happening. Now, look at the Bills. The only credible LB on the team is Barnett (imo), and he isn't young. This must stop. I am all about "bpa" when a fondation is in place. I'm against buying a fancy new sail for a boat with a leak.

Here is what I don't understand John. I agree with the above. So, how could you fully dismiss any possibility that the Spiller selection was thrust upon Nix, especially given the way they rushed up and took him in seconds? It could have been Littman/Oberforf givong the order, not necessarily Ralph. Seriously, who do you think generated more ticket sales, Spiller or Dareus?

I gotta disagree John. Mike Williams was a fat right tackle (I know Simms was left handed ) with a chronic ankle injury. In college, he just out-muscled his opponents. Remember how well he did at the combines with 225? In those days, my signature on this board was, "Draft McKinnie." He was a MUCH better player both in college and in the NFL. TD really whiffed on that pick, and it cost Ralph millions. After a very good draft in 2001, this was certainly the first step toward Ralph bringing back Levy and REALLY screwing things up. Btw, I recently read that Levy stated that he would love to go back into coaching. You can't make this stuff up. That would be fine with me John.

Good post John. Let's talk about the 2011 draft for a moment, ok? Overall, I would rate it as good. We got a superior DT, 3 defensive backs who look as if they can play, and Hairston, who I think will be a very good RT at some point. And, he has proven that he can fill in at LT. I omitted Sheppard because I am not so impressed. But as you can see, I have no major quarrel with your assessment of the 2011 draft. However, the team is still without any real pass rush, a dependable LT, or a star quarterback. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think we lost 5 games by 7 points or less. I am thinking that pass rush alone might have won us 2 of those, especially the Bengals game vs. a rookie. Now, let's jump to 2012 if you will. Ralph has all but announced that we are going to draft a wideout at #10. Like the Spiller selection, this would excite some fans and sell tickets, but it probably won't win us football games, even if the wr is "good". If the Bills strengthen the key 3 elements listed above, the 2011 draft will look even better. If not, they will still lose more than they win due to a shaky foundation. As you well know, pass rushers and LTs are hard to get. We need to use our best resources to strengthen these positions of great need. It's just so obvious to me. We are not losing football games in a vacuum. You call for steady improvement above. So do I. We won't get it by wasting more prime draft picks at "skill" position. A foundation is desperately needed. Jmo.

Yes, but this was not the highest ladder to climb, ya know?

You are not asking me, but I will take the unpopular position that Aaron Williams was in fact a stupid pick. You know why? Because Nix clearly stated that he had multiple trade down offers in every round. Do you know how much the 2nd pick in round 2 is worth? PART of the compensation would have been a 1st round pick in this draft. So.....would I rather have Ryan Mallett AND another first this year than Aaron Williams? Of course. How about you? To be fair, it's tough to judge Williams. He was injured for a good chunk of the season and we had next to no pass rush. Maybe he will be a very good player some day. I don't know, but taking a corner this early with a crumbling, shoddy foundation was another step in the path of stupidity imo. And we didn't win many games, ya know?

Even if Hightower gets past Pitt, he will be drafted by Baltimore. Ray Lewis is old, Hightower will be great, and Ozzie Newsome is from Alabama. And, he is a great GM. I agree that Vlachos will drop because he is small. Barrett Jones however will move up. He will be a great OG, and can play some LT. And btw, Michael Williams will be a steal at TE. Bama runs alot and the qb is young and even a bit shaky. On another team he would probably have much better numbers. I really hope we can snag some players from the Tide!!!!!

PD, I am making the point that the Spiller selection was part of an ongoing stupid, losing philosophy. Mr. Wilson said that they needed a player to, "add excitement." He meant it imo. Mr. Wilson is a businessman, not a football man, and there is zero reason not to believe that he has not been heavily involved in the Bills drafts. And remember, they FLEW up to the podium and made the selection. There is no reason to suspect that trading down was an impossibility. The other element of stupidity is the emphasis on dbs. WADE PHILLIPPS (not me on a message board) said that he wants players who can rush the quarterback and THEN he will worry about dbs. He is obviously right. We do the opposite and of course lose football games. Imo, it's not about where a player is rated. It's about building a foundation. LaMarr Woodley was a mid second round pick. The Bills need a player like him far more than a flashy, small running back. And as people continue to post, the game has changed. It's about passing and pass pressure these days. Btw, I am not one to demand a consensus. I appreciate the dialogue and hope that you can at least see/consider my points.

My point is simply that it was not neccessary to use a #9 on yet another running back, Lynch or no Lynch. It doesn't matter whether or not Spiller is "good." So are Whitner, McKelvin, MaGahee, and Lynch, but they too were wasted picks. We have absolutely no OLBs on the roster, but we used a #9 on a player who cannot beat out a udfa. Dick Drawn makes the point of the w/l record and he is not to be denied. The rbs and dbs have not won us games, even if they are "good." They are easy to get, unlike QBs, LTs and pass rushers. And btw, imo the best player on the field was Dareus, not Spiller.

Which fans told him to mow down the girl and take off?

I appreciate quesions/dialogue like this. However, this one is tough to answer, but I'll try. I would draft Blackmon ONLY if I thought he was a superstar AND there were no OLBs, LTs, or QBs who I thought would be very good. In other words, if I thought that Blackmon was a 10 and Upshaw or a LT was a 9, I would pass on Blackmon. As you are well aware, receivers are easier to get than LTs or pass rushers. And again, the need at LB is nothing less than alarming.

This is true. But, the pass rush is very disturbing. The Bills probably field the worst set of linebackers in the NFL, and our team leader in sacks was a rookie who spent time at the nose. This is unacceptable, even mind boggling if you aren't a Bills fan. It is up to the Bills front office to find us pass rushers, and a LT (if they are loath to giving Bell the big bucks due to his health). They should have scouts all over the place looking at kids who can step in and help us now. Maybe they are doing this; who knows? But, in my perhaps ridiculous opinion, Mr. Wilson has control of the first round, and we will take a ticket selling wide receiver, who will be referred to as the "best player available." He won't take a QB in the first after paying Fitz, and he's probably still reeling from the Mike Williams fiasco. I want to be wrong; time will tell.

I hear ya. Brady threw for 200 yards the other day to Hernandez and Gronkowski. Btw, Gronkowski looks about as good as any TE I have ever seen. If he stays healthy he looks like a hall of fame player.

There are a lot of options imo. If Upshaw is able to produce "6.5" sacks, this would absolutely take blockers away from players such as Dareus and Edwards (who I happen to think is good). You see, Moats gets some sacks, but he can't seal off the edge. He is a situatiuonal pass rusher, or else he would always be on the field. Batten is not procucing at all. So Upshaw would add sacks, pressure, AND help vs. the run. Not too shabby imo. But, if they really don't think he is worth a 10 (a team that took Whitner at 8 and Spiller at 9 mind you), how about trading down? The last time we did it (2001) it worked. Even our second round pick could probably get us another 1st in 2013. There is no need to race to the podium and take the supposed "bpa," if taking him will not produce wins and build a solid team. I am an Alabama fan and think that Kirkpatrick will be a fine corner, but one who would rot on a team with no pass rush. I would rather they take Hightower, let alone Upshaw. Barnett and Hightower would be absolute beasts on the inside in a 3/4, wouldn't you say? The very last thing the Bills should do is draft a db or rb at 10. Even a wideout wouldn't be wise imo. Give me an OLB, LT, or trade down. Why keep losing? Jmo.

I'm sorry that my post made you a little hostile. My point is that there are units on this team in far worse shape than the secondary. How about a LB unit with one credible starter for instance? A first round corner would be a continuation of a stupid philosophy and would most certainly result in more losses.

This team has no pass rush. Their starting OLBs are a so-so DE (not noted for speed) and a decent backup DT. Mel Blount and Deion Sanders would give up TD passes while QBs such as SANCHEZ pick them apart with 7 seconds, let alone Brady. One thing the Bills have proven is that if you are going to build from the secondary, you are going to build a team that loses football games.

Hightower is going to be flat out great. The thing is, he plays inside. Our OLBS are as bad as the OL used to be. We have a situational pass rusher (Moats) and that's it. There probably isn't another NFL team on which Johnson or Kelsay would play OLB. It's crazy. Upshaw would be an instant upgrade. He has good pass rushing moves and is very good vs. the run. There is no safer pick in this draft. And btw, Nico Johnson might be there in round 3. He is another monster LB from Bama. Imo, our best hope is that the top rated corners and wrs are gone when we select. We need OLBs, and a great LT is never a bad thing.

Trent Richardson is being touted on some sites as a top 10 pick. Some say he goes later. Who would you rather have on the Bills, CJ Spiller or Trent Richardson?