Bill from NYC

Mr. Wilson recently stated that the Bills need receivers. Now it at least appears that SJ is going to walk. A flashier, faster wideout will sell more tickets in the short term. Do you still think that Mr. Wilson has no say in the first round?

Remember Mr. Wilson's comment about Fitz "needing receivers?" He is seemingly not impressed enough to even franchise SJ if this article is true. You and I predicted a long time ago that the Bills would use the first round pick this year on a wide receiver as I recall. It's making sense now, no? Perhaps this situation will serve as food for thought for those who doubt that Mr. Wilson, even at his age, really does get involved with first round selections.

Nix said that he had "multiple offers in every round" to trade down in 2011. I am GUESSING that he might have been able to obtain an extra 1st round pick for 2012 in doing so in round 2. I am not being critical of him either btw. Maybe he looked at the 2012 draft and wasn't so impressed. We will never know. If his strategy is to always stay put, so be it. But like any other draft strategy, one has to be correct, especially on a team like the Bills, where management doesn't seem to provide them with the money to sign too many expensive free agents.

Very true.

Of course, we need to wait for free agency to unfold, but at this point I tend to be on the same page as you. In a tradedown scenario, I would toss Donta Hightower into the mix. I am a long time Alabama fan, and I have watched this kid for years. He has a chance to be as good as Patrick Willis imo. I want a pass rusher/LT/QB as much as anybody on this board, but Hightower and additional picks would be a steal for our beloved Bills imo.

LOL! No, I think it's me not making myself clear. Imo, Richardson will be picked somewhere around #9, just like Spiller. Although he has never played a professional down, I am of the opinion that he will be a clearly superior player. He is bigger, stronger, a better blocker, hard to tackle, a better receiver imo, and not that much slower. Richardson is a complete player, not a situational player. And given the above, I still wouldn't want Richardson at #9. I think the Spiller pick was a huge mistake, but this is merely my opinion.

Yes, he was chosen with the #9. Some mocks show Richardson going earlier, some later. Perhaps I'm a tad slow, but I don't understand what was wrong with the question. I was merely asking which player you, as a Bills fan, would rather have on your team.

Thanks Bro! This draft will be quite interesting, and one which we cannot even begin to forecast until we see what happens in free agency. Even in a 4/3, I am only seeing 1 legit LB on the roster, whereas I am unimpressed by Sheppard so far. This is unthinkable but true. Yet, I cannot see where the outside pressure will come from in a 4-3. Kelsay? Not happening. Carrington perhaps, but this is a hypothetical reach. At times I wish they would trade down and take Hightower, who would be a monster imo. We shall see. PS: If you noticed, nobody answered my question re Spiller vs. Richardson.

Crusade? I was one vote out of 93 in a poll that I didn't start, and post #25 in a thread. My view is obviously on the unpopular side, just as your contention that Dick Jauron is a good coach fails to go over all that much. Should we both just stop posting?

From the second that they literally ran to the podium to make this selection, I have thought it to be Mr. Wilson's order. The "excitement" comment lends itself to profit motive/ticket sales. Let's see if Trent Richardson goes in the top 10. Is there anybody here who prefers Spiller to Richardson?

Also, people forget that part of the reason that SJ/Fitz have such good chemistry is because they were second teamers at the same time and practiced a lot together. Losing SJ would not be good for Fitz.

Upshaw and Hightower are both superb players. As for the Giants pass rush winning the game, you are obviously right. They had a functional to good OL; the DL was one of the best ever. If those roles were reversed, if they would have had an all-time great OL and a functional to good pass rush, they might still be champs. The game is won in the trenches, and the rule changes favor receivers, big time. Professional receivers cannot be covered all day, even by the best DBs. This was always the case, and with the rule changes, it stands out even more. And, rule changes or not, the most important positions always were, and continue to be, QB, LT, and pass rusher. They are the hardest to fill too, and it's usually a mistake to pass on one when a great one comes along.

Ok, I accept this. But the emphasis on the secondary and running backs in the draft has assured this team of losing football games. This season, the Giants will probably use a first round pick on a defensive back. Posters will come here and point to this as a sign of doing the right thing. The truth is that they have one of the best defensive lines ever. Even if they need help at other positions, a db, if he is the best player out there at positions of need, would probably make sense. And I would support this as a Giant fan. The Bills are an entirely different story. They have a doccumented history of wasting prime picks on dbs, and letting them walk after 1 contract. This while the OL and front 7 suffer. Wade Phillipps (not me) said that he wants players who can rush the quarterback, and THEN he will worry about the secondary. We do the opposite, and of course lose.

I cannot begin to tell you how much that I hope that you are right about the Bills reaching the playoffs this year. Where I do respectfully disagree is at the lb position. I just cannot see how a team can enter into a season with only 1 credible LB on the entire roster and make the playoffs. Not to say it isn't possible mind you, but it's tough for me to visualize. I am also not seeing a credible pass rush with Kelsay at DE, and actually have higher hopes for Carrington, even in a 4/3. Btw, if we lose SJ at wr, do you think that anybody on the roster can fill his shoes? It seems to me that our wrs do get open more than they used to. My point is that imo we might need a monster draft in order to take it to the next level. Btw, do you consider this a good, bad, or mediocre draft? Please compare it to 2005 if you will.

The Giants have a defensive line that is absolutely stacked and very deep. It's not only the best in the NFL, it is the best one I have seen in a long time. So good, that it makes me reconsider my long time preference of the 3/4 defense, which is a foot injury away from a nose tackle to being ineffective. This in a pass driven league. The rest of the Giant defense really isn't that great. In fact, imo our secondary would make more plays than theirs with that DL in front of the. Our lbs however are as bad as one can really imagine. Call me crazy, but imo the Bills receivers aren't the worst either, and seem to be getting open more often than in recent years. The bottom line wrt the Bills (imo) is that with more talent and depth on both lines, they can be a playoff team (assuming they bring in 1 or 2 professional linebackers). I think the Giants helped make my case.

Yeah, those guys all suck. And OTs had noting to do with the 49ers success. It was all about Alex Smith.

800

I posted many times during the season that I thought he was injured, but you are correct, there was no proof. Hopefully he will be a better qb this year.

Interesting, thanks. If I read this correctly, this would somewhat negate a 3/4 with a Ted Washington type nose, and actually be suited for a Bills defense with Dareus, and a hypothetically healthy Kyle Williams at the DT positions. But imo, we still need outside rushers who can beat OTs to have a better than average defense, let alone serious help at linebacker. If we stay at 10, I do hope we can pick up a pass rusher or a LT, but I am almost sure they will draft a wideout. Knowing it's early, what do you see them going for in round 1?

Brother, ya gotta help us out with some players from Alabama.

I strongly agree wrt Sheppard, which is why I broached the possibility of trading down and drafting Hightower, who I strongly feel will be an impact player as a rookie. That said, we would still be left with no outside pass rush. I have no idea where they will get outside pressure from. Kelsay? Question: Given the rule changes, will we ever again see spectacular defenses? I am talking about the 85 Bears, Steel Curtain, or the SB Ravens. And for old-timers, the Chiefs with Lanier and Bell. Is defense going to become less valueable as the league shifts toward arena football?

The 2006 draft was one of the best in recent memory too imo. Bills fans are still paying the price for what Levy/Jauron did to this team in 2006.

For what it's worth, in an article posted on the TBD home page, Dareus is full of praise for Courtney Upshaw.

The kid is great. We really need more players, winners from the Crimson Tide!!!!!

And you will never hear me complain if the Bills draft a top quality LT. He doesn't have to be Orlando Pace either. A LT in the range of Brad Hopkins or Tarik Glenn would be absolutely great imo. If you see one that you project to be in this caliber coming out this year, please let me know. I guess we won't have a clue until we see what they do wrt Bell. I would LOVE to be wrong, but I don't think that Hairston has the total coordination to be a top quality LT. But, he might be a tremendous RT. Tough to say at this stage. What looks to be certain is that if Bell walks, LT is going to be a problem. And if he stays, how often will he be on the bench ala Jennings?