Dibs

That first year of FA was not so bad(in terms of money and/or draft picks). The only player that received a good amount of money was Tripplett(3mil/year IIRC). The best of the rest was $2mil/year. One of those was Reed re-signing. Personally I look at that off-season as an impossible task.......we had to get players all over the team, therefore there were a lot of stopgap signings. Pre draft we needed to find starters at SS, FS, OLB, DT, DT, OT, OT, OG, OG, C, WR2, TE, FB.......and that does not include the obvious future replacement for CB, MLB, QB, RB.......and now DE.

.....from the shotgun.

This is a bit ambiguous & not true. I have had a good look at 1st round OL selections & it is fair to say that 1st round interior OLmen have the lowest bust rate out of any position.......in recent times every single 1st round OG & C has minimally developed into a quality NFL starter. I think one can safely assume that the 2nd round bust rate for interior OLmen would also be lower than most other positions(I will probably have a look at the 2nd round when I get some extra time after Christmas). The story is different with OTs. 1st round OTs are far more hit & miss(like most positions). Since we are looking at drafting an interior OLman and not an OT, I think your premise that we should draft one within the first two rounds holds.

I've had enough of Dick.

Why can't people do a little bit of research before spouting their myths as facts for others to consume? Looking at the past 10 years of Steelers drafting one would have to say that the area they have focused on which is well above the league norm would be WR/TE. A comparison of Bills/Steelers first 3 rounds selections from the last 10 drafts.....numbers in brackets(1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round) WR/TE PIT(4, 2, 3) BUF(1, 4, 1) DL PIT(1, 2, 2) BUF(2, 3, 3) OL PIT(1, 1, 3) BUF(1, 0, 3) LB PIT(1, 1, 1) BUF(0, 1, 2) DB PIT(1, 3, 3) BUF(4, 1, 2) QB/RB PIT(2, 0, 0) BUF(3, 1, 2)

Williams & Butler are possibly decent starter level......put some quality next to them & they might show better ability. Ellis, Corner & Fine.....who knows at this point? Simpson most probably won't cut it in the long run IMO. Youboty looks good.....injury issues seem like they will doom him. I haven't given up on Edwards yet either

Neglected(largely) the OL.......the DL has been heavily invested in over the years. The last 9 drafts has seen 8 DLmen drafted in the first 3 rounds(2x1st, 3x2nd, 3x3rd).

Yes. I agree that the LOS is vital. To imply that the Bills FO does not know this is and ignores it is simply not true. All of the decent-big contracts handed out on this team have been to the trenches(Evans excepted). The problem hasn't been that we have not tried to shore up the lines......it's that they made mistakes on over-paying for under-performing linemen. The problem is not positional strategy......the problem is talent analysis(or coaching perhaps).

You obviously don't realize it but this statement is totally incorrect. Putting things simply......over 50% of 1st rounders are busts. This percentage goes up with 2nd & 3rd rounders. Add to that that some players who are not busts take 2 or 3 years(or more) to show themselves to be competent and you can see that saying that most teams' rookies contribute and play a huge role in the team(as rookies) is.....as I said....totally incorrect.

Oh how true this is Good post RR

TE may well be injury prone.....but a turnover machine??? Compared to JPL??? In 22 games played, TE has had 22 TOs In 42 games played, JPL has had 51 TOs Comparing other youngish QBs Ely Manning....70 games, 86 TOs Ben Roethlisburger.....70 games, 79 TOs Phillip Rivers.....50 games, 48 TOs Jay Cutler.....35 games, 42 TOs Matt Leinart....19 games, 18 TOs Tarvaris Jackson....23 games, 22 TOs

But which are the non exceptions that actually prove the rule? There are many bad teams that have invested heavily in the draft obtaining linemen.......there are many good teams that have invested to similar levels as the Bills have in drafting linemen......there are many bad teams that have invested to similar levels as the Bills have in drafting linemen......there are a couple of good teams that have invested heavily in the draft obtaining linemen. THERE IS NO RULE! To try and put a simplistic one line rule on a massively complex situation is ludicrous......and the actual facts never support the rule.

Being from Australia, the whole tipping system seems......well.....stupid. It seems that the 'custom' of tipping in the US has become an 'expectation' which defeats the initial purpose of it.....to reward better service & penalize bad service. Over here there is virtually no tipping(a little bit in sit-down restaurants). Employers actually pay their staff a livable amount for their services & the costs are factored into the price of the goods & services provided.

I know what you mean. He comes across extremely 'nice'. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Sorry, can't do it. You'll end up with masses more bad than goods on your pole. The team is in the crapper so the 'everything should be replaced' mentality will rule. Also, it is a lot easier to say "The D isn't good....therefore it is bad." than it is to say "The D isn't bad....therefore it is good."

Actually Jackman gets rave reviews when he hosts events(i.e. Tony Awards)......

What about in between? I wouldn't call the D good......but I certainly wouldn't call them bad either.

Except for when Brees did(injury issue).

I think you are probably wrong about Walker......good enough to start IMO. We definitely need an OC & a DE......but assuming we can find them.....and Schobel comes back OK.....the lines(particularly OL) could develop into at least the 'good' range. If the lights can get switched on for TE(ala Brees 3rd year).....and coaching/play-calling improve(replace).......and we can get some relief from injuries......we could turn things around very quick. It is the Bills though, so I don't actually expect any of that to happen.

You certainly undervalue the talent on the Bills. This is normal as the players on bad teams are generally under-rated and it is only when the team 'turns things around' that it is realized that the 'below-average' player is all of a sudden a solid starter. This happens a lot.....teams do turn things around in one season. The Patriots did it in 2001.....Their only players of note were Milloy, Law, McGinest, Woody & Bledsoe......and none of those were considered true stars of the day. They drafted Seymour & Light that season(previous drafts not resulting in much). I agree that the Rams drafted well prior to their SB runs but.....they were perennial losers who only succeeded when they brought in a FA star RB, a very good FA OG & found Warner. They were predicted to win about 5 games in 1999. The 2003 Chargers are another example. The only player that they had was LT. Their previous decade of drafts were full of busts. According to every man & his dog they had no talent what-so-ever......yet they turned things around(thanks to Brees & coaching?) in one season to become one of the strongest in the league. In a slightly different way the Titans have 'miraculously' turned things around. They whiffed on their 2 high 1st round picks(Jones#6 & Young#3)......drafted virtually no OLmen.......and used 3 of their last 5 1st round picks on DBs. My point is that you are in fact guilty of suffering from your point #3 "Most Bills fans overvalue big things and undervalue small things..." You certainly seem to be undervaluing the overall talent level on the team. Teams do not need to be studded with star play-makers. As I said, the NFL has shown time & again that teams with 'very little talent' one year can be full of solid-good starters only one or two years later. The players don't all become better in short time.......the team does.

I hate to point this out but......Urlacher played(still plays?) in a predominantly T2 D.

Well it is laughable isn't it? The team is a joke at the moment isn't it?

Picking higher in the draft doesn't mean you get a better player.......just a theoretically better chance of getting a better player. There are busts & stars that are selected all through the 1st round.

I've gotta go but quickly.......we have no DT on the roster of similar size to N'Gata. Stroud 6'6" 310lbs N'Gata 6'4" 345lbs

Contracts escalate each year......this means that this off-seasons contracts will be higher again......and the following year, etc, etc. Who's to say that LE wouldn't be league leading on a different team/offense? He is 11th in the NFL in yardage at the moment with our disgusting offense. I guess you are saying we should have let him walk.