Bill from NYC

And I see your point. Now, if you think that much of Hairston, a stud LT would endable the staff to place Hairston at RT. Either way, I hope they don't screw it up in a "Spilleresque" manner.

Tough question but I'll try. 1) I want to see more of Pears, but he seems to be holding his position rather well. He is certainly worth keeping on the team. 2) Urbik looks as if he has potential. He seems to play well in this systems and has thrown nice blocks that I noticed on runs. He too is a keeper imo. 3) Wood, for the first time, is living up to the accolades he was getting on this board. I have no issues at all with him at Center. 4) Levitre is a very good player. Perhaps not the crushing beast one might want, but he is good at all phases of his position and will probably even get better. Btw, the year he was drafted, I would have been fine with him at #28. They got him in round 2, but they moved up to get him, am I right? 5) Bell? Wow. He plays pretty well when he is in there, but he seems to be almost always out or playing injured. A smaller, poor man's Jonas Jennings if you will. I don't know when his contract is up nor how much I would commit to him if it was. 6) Hairston is VERY interesting. We have absolutely not seen enough of him to know how he will play, but it was obvious early on that we were not looking at Terrance Pennington or poor Greg Jerman. I don't think anbody knows for sure what he brings, but I do wish he was in there now getting snaps. Looking at his frame, I see a RT but again, it's way too early to say. Would I like a first round LT. Yes, if the scouts think that he could play on the level of Tarik Glenn. He wouldn't have to be an all time great such as Pace. If they thought there was a very good LT in round 2, I hope they go for someone like Courtney Upshaw. And, I also think they would do well to get better at ILB. An extra DT would help a lot as well. Corner? Let's see more of Aaron Williams, OK?

Thanks so much E.A.!!! I am never against drafting a qb but I will tell you, the Bills are not going to go after a first round qb after guaranteeing Fitz 24 million dollars or so. My friend, let's be honest with ourselves. It ain't happening. I am going to spend the offseason the way I usually do.....looking at OTs and pass rushers, and hoping that they don't draft another db or rb in round 1. As previously stated, I really do believe that the Bills are very close to being serious contenders if they avoid stupid mistakes of the past. One thing I can tell you is that the Bills would not be 5-3 without Dareus. Imagine how good he could be with a Bryce Paup type pass rushing OLB to take a guard away from him in the middle. Or how much of a difference a monster OT would mske to the entire offense. I also want another ILB, and Alabama has 2 stars (Hightower and Johnson). In all, I can't complain so much. This team got very lucky with players such as S. Johnson, Nelson, Chandler, and maybe even Urbik. Let's just hope we can keep it going.

Pooj if you can, check out Furthur. I am going to see them Thursday at the Garden. Their guitarist, John Kadlecik, is amazing. I was at this concert and they were amazing!

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I even started a thread last week that they should try his speed up the middle. But as you infered, Gailey is a great offensive mind, and he just doesn't appear to want him in there. And, if Fitz wanted to use him more, it would happen imo. It's been a full season and 1/2 since we made the drastic error of drafting Spiller at #9. He has little trade value so we are pretty much stuck with him. All we can do is hope that he wins us a game at some point.

OK, but we just used the 2nd pick in round 2 on a corner. Should we wait to see if he can play, or just continue down that road? This while we lack pass rush, which would make life much easier for the secondary. And yes, as other posters have stated, we need help at OT as well.

I think that the Bills secondary is probably average. If A. Williams can play, he will make a difference too. What they lack is a pure pass rusher up front. Sanchez can be exploited if he is pressured and sacked. A strong pass rusher would be able to force plays and take pressure off of the secondary, as well as create more opportunities for other linemen. Another solid linebacker would help us out too. Again, we are probably not so far away from serious contention.

I agree that they are beatable but I think that they are better than you suggest. They are a well built team. We can get there with a free agent or 2 and a solid, sane draft. There were probably 10 players in the Alabama/LSU game last night that could improve our team immediately. I hope they grab one of the Alabama linebackers.

1) I was ready to rip McKelvin a new a-hole after the long catch by Burress with 8 minutes and change left in the 3rd Qtr. Then I saw the replay and noticed that Burress shoved him away, as he did on most of his receptions today. Of course, there was no call. I cannot think of a way that the refs didn't see this; it was just so clear. 2) He was not as consistent as I am hoping for, but Alex Carrington played his best game as a professional football player today. I always had more hope for him than Troup, and now the bar has been raised in terms of what I think that he is capable of doing. 3) The 4th Qtr. challenge by Gailey was dumb. Very dumb. 4) OK, time to rip McKelvin. On the very next play after the non-call he gave up a touchdown, despite having his man covered. He has NO football instincts. He plays at about the level of a decent 4th round pick. Nice work Dick Levy! 5) Dareus is on his way to being an actually, literal, GREAT player. He more than held his own with Mangold, who imo has a big chance to be in the Hall of Fame. This as a rookie. The sky is the limit for this kid!!!!!! 6) The move that Stevie Johnson put on Revis on that 52 yard reception was one I don't recall ever seeing. He made these motions with his feet and actually froze the best NFL cornerback since Mel Blount. His fantasy numbers aside, he reached a new plateau today. He caught passes from and drew penalties on Revis. The need to extend his contract RIGHT NOW!!!!!! If they lose him, they will be chasing his replacement which will not be easy to find. We did this at db and wound up with Whitner/McKelvin. We did this at RB and wound up with Spiller. PLEASE sign him now. PLEASE!!!!!! 7) On the day that I was born, Daddy sat down and cried. I had the mark just as plain as day, Could not, be denied. 8) The first pick by Fitz at the end of the half was simply inexcuseable. He had a month to throw; there was NO reason to force the pass. We are not good enough to come back from bad plays like this. 9) This was Gaileys worst game as our coach. Its not as if I am hating on the guy, but he has led us to expect more. 10) I STILL think that they should have sent Spiller between the tackles, especially after FJ was hurt. There was some room too. The hardest position to watch on TV is Right Guard. Its as if the cameras don't go there. That said, I am starting to like Urbik more and more. 11) Hey, how funny was that "leap" by Keller in the 2nd Qtr? And he was out of bounds to boot. It was nice to see him get smashed. 12) Blast away, but the truth is that the Jets are stacked. Sanchez is shaky, but they are a very, very talented team and are much better than their record indicates. Therefore, I am not as pissed as I would normally be after a loss. But, we have to correct dumb mistakes. At this point, we are just not good enough to compensate for bad calls, questionable coaching decisions and ill advised plays. The good news is that imo we are only a few players away from being serious contenders. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great post as usual. Let's hope that Nix goes right back to Bama next April. I am hoping that Upshaw, Hightower, N. Johnson and company steal the show tonight.

I like your optimism! Spiller, as we all know was a #9 selection as a running back. Fans, because of this, are way more patient with him than they are with Smith, who picks up drive sustaining first downs week after week. As you may know, I never expected much from Spiller. NOW is the time for him to prove that he is more than a marginal gadget player. I want to praise him in my weekly "Thoughts" for taking over and winning this perhaps monumental game for the Buffalo Bills football team. This game is a golden opportunity for him to show us what he has imo. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not calling for them to abandon FJ. My thing is that the jets will be coming at us, and Spiller has enough speed to rush past blitzing lbs and take it to the house. Ryan will be a bit desperate and put his defense on the full attack mode. Think about it.....NE should have no problems with the Giants at home. If we win this football game the jets will be hurting in the division, or so it would appear. We need to pull out the stops and beat this team at home. FJ will get his carries and passes. He IS too good to sit, you are correct. That said, for the first time since he was drafted I am feeling like Spiller should really be put to the test. Just a hunch.

for him to step up!!!!!! It is far from a secret to regulars here how I felt about this draft selection. Well, the jets are a very physical team that plays a sophisticated defense. They are a hard team to overpower, and they will be blitzing. I can't think of a better opportunity for Spiller to run between the tackles and past blitzing linebackers (who are very good). We used a #9 on him. 24 games into his career, I would like to see some real dividends. If Spiller and yes Smith can confuse the jets defense, we can put the rest of what we do into effect and win this football game. The jets are good but I don't think that they can win a shootout with us at home. C'mon CJ, prove me wrong! Take over a football game and win it for the Buffalo Bills and us fans!!!!! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To add to this, the OP referred to the first downs as "crucial." He has kept drives going that have resulted in points and killing the clock. Smith has been nothing but an asset to this team.

Fitz is going to want to keep Stevie. They played and practiced together as backups. This is partially responsible for their long term chemistry imo. I truly hope they keep him. I am sure the scheme contributes to a great extent, but SJ gets open, as do other Bills receivers. This was not the case before Gailey and I see no need to mess with something that works.

There is no comparison. TD had a great draft the first time around and then seemed to fizzle. Levy/Jauron were totally incompetent. The team is just starting to recover from the 2006 disaster. I like the direction that Nix went other than Spiller. Nix is about getting the team to be bigger and stronger. The Aaron Williams pick raised an eyebrow too in all honesty. OC, Nix stated that he had multiple trade down offers in every round. Sometimes, early picks like this in round 2 can fetch an additional #1 in the following season, and anoter pick. The good news is that Williams, from what little we have seen of him, looks like he can be a player. And do try to catch the Alabama game this weekend if you get a chance. There are pro linebackers that could not start for the Crimson Tide.

OC, almost all of this is true. But excuse me.....when was the last time the Bills made the playoffs? My point is that they neglected the line for well over a decade and paid the price. Look at the W/L records and get back to me. Your post should be about praising Buddy and Chan for their free agent pickups, not defending abysmal drafts. The thing is, we haven't seen the line play we are seeing this year in 20 or so years. Everybody is happy with me leading the parade. But, there is more to do. Hairston does apppear to have a future. Bell? He IS a starter, but he is almost always hurt. Year after year he is hampered by injuries and we must hope that he isn't a modern day Jonas Jennings (who by the way was a very good blocker when he saw the field). As for the secondary, who were our most productive dbs in recent times? I will go with Clements (21st pick of round 1, and we got an extra #2 in a tradedown), Greer (udfa), Wilson (udfa), Magee (4th round), and perhaps Byrd (2nd round) and even Florence (ufa). Notice the missing names.....Whitner (#8) and McKelvin (#11). Do you see my point? I am not even going to go there wrt running backs. Badolbilz told me a quite a few years back that coaching was growing, and would grow in importance. How on the money was he? Gailey has brought something beautiful to the Bills community. What he has accomplished was way against the odds, even to eternal optimists. When it comes to players, QBs, pass rushers and blockers will always be the foundation of good football teams, especially those who play in the cold. Sorry, this DOES matter. Solid DTs would rank just behind imo. This team is a few good players away from serious contention. I hope they start right back at Alabama in their quest to find these missing pieces. Meanwhile, whether we agree in principle or not isn't an issue. Let's enjoy first place, and thanks for good dialogue! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, thanks for the stats. It would also be cool to know how many times he didn't convert on 3rd down. And I will stick to my statement/hunch/hope that he will win us a game this season. I guess we will see how it plays out. GO BILLS!!!!!

I respectfully disagree. Smith has picked up KEY first downs all season long. I can't put stats or numbers behind it, but I feel as if we simply were not picking up many first downs on 3rd and 3, etc. for years. And I truly believe that before the season is over, Brad Smith will win us a game. Absolutely. Spencer Johnson was all over the place and had the best game of his career.

Well said, and the kid is a rookie who can play any position of the defensive line. I can assure you that Mangold is going to be thinking a lot about this kid during the week.

1) If you look back at the last dozen or more years, Andy Levitre was easily one of the best draft selections made by the Bills. Not only did he man the LT position, he did so without a ton of help. 2) Fred Jackson is at the point where he is flat out amazing. There is not a more consistent back in the NFL right now. 3) I LOVE the respect that Gailey is getting around the league. Even Jimmy Johnson was raving about him. Did anybody see when he was talking to Fitz on the sidelines for 20 or 30 seconds and then shoved him back to the field? How cool was that? 4) Troy Aikman raised some points about the wildcat. He hates it; I however love it because of Brad Smith. That said, he mentioned that he would have been furious at being lifted on 3rd and 2. This says something about Fitz. Is he complaining? No, he is following the coaches orders/gameplan in an unselfish way. There is so much to like about Fitz I wouldn't know where to start. 5) It's amazing how good a secondary can look when there is pass rush, no? 6) Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, (don't tell me this town ain't got no heart), WHEN I CAN HERE IT BEAT OUT LOUD! 7) Dareus took over the game today. That kid was busting people up. The sacks, as tremendous as they were, were an added bonus. A healthy Dareus will do nothing but get better, and make life WAY easier for the rest of the DL. 8) Thankfully, Gailey is WAY more aggressive than me lol! That said, I was sick to my stomach when Fitz threw the pick right around the deuce at halftime. 9) Was I hearing things or did Aikman say that Stevie Johnson was the only WR on the Bills who was actually drafted? That is freaking amazing, and perhaps unprecedented. 10) Chandler runs beautiful routes, and yesterday he had some great blocks on running plays. We HAVE to keep him. Period. 11) People, despite a brutal schedule, we officially have a better record than last year. The jets have a lot of talent, but I'm not scared. Nervous? Always, but not scared. If we can beat them, we are serious contenders. How cool is this people? 12) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice thread e-man. I am thinking that in order to win this game, we need production from Batten and especially Chandler. If Chandler can get us some first downs, or even a TD, this will mean that he won't be needed to stay in all the time and help our decimated OL. Also, I want to see more of Brad Smith today. I am of the very strong opinion that this kid is going to win us at least 1 football game this season. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to be offensive, but why is it just so important to you that there are people who don't agree with your views? Also, do you think that a good game today (his 23rd) would automatically serve to validate this draft selection?

I agree with the above word for word. And, I think that they can fix the defense. As the Senator states, they should go straight to Alabama. Upshaw and Hightwer are both future stars imo. Just immediate impact players.