Rockinon

I never could understand this ridiculous mentality. Under no circumstances whatsoever to you accept defeat. You never stop trying to get better this year in hopes that next year you can possibly get a high draft pick. What if we win 10 games and then lose Fitz at the end of the season? There goes your high draft pick. You go after the best players you can put on the field when you have the opportunity to do so and you worry about next year, next year.

IMHO, that is not the issue. We need a third QB simply because of the risk of injury. We need another QB and the front office should go after the best they can get in FA. Worrying over whether that QB is going to compete with Fitz is just not an issue either. The idea is to make the team as a whole better.

Lined up next to Kyle Williams is going to be fun to watch.

He isn't. And Aloha, very nice write up.

I smell the optimism........and it is good.

The original question was about smell. To put it into some kind of context, I used the sense of smell because it is a sense that humans have lost the ability to use properly. It is an animalistic sense capable of smelling fear like a speeding dart finds a bullseye. It is a sense capable of making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is a sense that allows you to close your eyes and feel everything around you. It is an awesome sense and I smell a distant storm gathering. I am in Potsdam, NY but he storm is coming from the direction of Buffalo. Can you smell it now?

That's a possibility but Fitz may surprise everyone and play like a top 5 QB. He got the ball rolling last year and might just be warming up.

Astro, nice post. I have noticed the same thing. I started a similar post but used my own observations rather than ESPN, Dallas News or NFL.com. Your right. Tougher is a good description. I said, "bigger and stronger". A definite theme of this draft. Look here: My link

Our team is getting bigger, tougher and more aggressive. I am so glad Jauron is gone with his speedy, small, finesse crap. This is football for cryin' out loud. And Buffalo football is supposed to be a dominant defense, smash mouth, in-your-face game. This draft is a definite step in the right direction.

Ack! Get that picture out of my head. NOW.

I smell Tom Brady. It smells like fear. I smell Ralph Wilson stadium packed to the gills on opening day. I smell the heightened sense of anticipation in the crowd around me. I smell the hairs standing on end as the opening kick off sails through the air. Oh, man do I smell optimism. I smell even the stadium wall message boarders starting to get excited about the upcoming season. I smell Fitz calling his team mates and putting in off the clock extra reps because he knows this is the last year on his contract and he wants a new one real bad. I smell the defense aching with the desire to crush any and all comers. I smell Gailey and Wannstedt putting their heads together to devise a plan before the game. I could go on but I think some of you all should tell us what you smell. It's coming. The turning point has arrived and now the momentum is beginning to build. Ah, the smell......... What do you smell?

At least you thought you could smell it.....a possible convert? What did you do, fart?

More like "Are you freaking out of your mind", no. Or "Step slowly away from the crack pipe and let us help you", no. Or no, "you don't want to go swimming in the Love canal".

Have you ever played the game? Tackled someone with a full head of steam and drove them to the ground so hard your first thought is "man, that had to hurt"? Smells something like that.

Fitz's play last year could have been an anomaly, but how can anyone honestly say after all of his accomplishments, he doesn't deserve a chance to prove he has "franchise" talent. Talent comes in many forms. It's not all completion percentages and touchdown/interception ratios. There have been a lot of people writing him off, but my belief is that he has as much of a chance as any rookie coming out of college. If he takes this team deep into the playoffs and they don't win the big game I can just here the criticism ahead of time. It'll all be because of the lack of a "franchise" QB. Some people are just born pessimists and can't help themselves.

I stand corrected. He does seem incredibly athletic for a guy his size.

I am not surprised at all that there are so many differing opinions on what the base defense will look like. Actually I believe there will be a lot of switching up. Position swapping is something that a lot of these guys are used to and that can be a real asset used to confuse opposing offenses.

I can't believe the pessimists haven't arrived yet. Could it be we have a few converts here? I can smell it!

I wonder how much Whaley's influence is showing in this draft. Pittsburgh has always had an aggressive defense, and I think their drafting philosophy reflects that. Whaley having a Pittsburg background may be getting some attention or the whole war room may be putting a new stamp on Buffalo's drafting philosophy. Either way, I like it. Drafting 2 early round defensive linemen last year just makes this draft look even more like there is a long term goal for success. And Wannstedt, I think is going to have a great influence on the coaching of these players. The defense is looking awesome. The offense even got a couple of key acquisitions. Overall, the depth on the team is much improved over last year.

Of course. I went back and fixed spelling. I wanted to do it quickly and without too much in depth analysis on each player. This draft should make our defensive coordinator and LBs coach very happy. Hope training camp starts soon. I did get the sense that size and instinct was a big factor in this draft. The brass seems to be looking for an aggressive dominating defense instead of a speedy finesse defense.

Following this draft has been fun. We all watched last year as our offense fought valiantly only to watch our defense get pushed around like rag dolls and lose a lot of close games. It became very evident that what this team needed most was to get bigger and stronger on defense. We knew we would likely go heavy on defense, but 7 out of 9 picks heavy? Wow! 1. The Dareus pick. DT/Alabama. I was very much in favor of picking up Miller but that was only because there would certainly be zero chance of Darius actually still being on the board at #3. Can anyone not be optimistic about this pick? This guy lined up next to Kyle Williams is going to be fun to watch. And even more impressive, some real props must go to Nix, Gailey and Whaley for also spending 2 early picks on DL last year. Troupe and Carrington both showed promise last year and it is certainly reasonable to expect improvement. A dominating performance from our DL this year can actually be expected. 2. Aaron Williams, CB/FS, University of Texas. This was a head scratcher for many of us, but good corners and ones that can also be a FS are not easy to find in later rounds. Add also that two of our starters may not be back from last year and this all of a sudden can be seen as a wise pick by the Bill's brain trust. What is interesting is that he is not the short speed freaks we are accustomed to seeing. He is bigger and a more aggressive tackler however and this is a theme that we will see throughout this draft. Though many of us wanted a LB, this pick shows a considerable amount of vision. We got a football player at a position need and one that was actually rated a 1st round prospect. So this was a value pick as well. 3. Kelvin Sheppard, ILB, LSU. Well here is the linebacker we wanted in the 2nd round and I must say, he is a gamer. Sheppard was on Gailey's squad in the senior bowl. In 2010 ... he added 26 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, six forced fumbles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries for career. That is getting in on the action! Another trait is that he is considered a fiery team leader at LSU. This is football player that not only lays it out on the field but also motivates the people around him. This is a great pick! 4. Da'Norris Searcy, SS North Carolina. Searcy is a strong safety known for his good instinctual play. Everyone is aware of our problems covering TE's. This is a step in the right direction. Searcy covers TE's and slot receivers very well and has a habit of making plays on the ball. He is also considered a reliable tackler that takes good angles and wraps up his target when he gets there. I am definitely beginning to get the sense that the brass on this team is getting serious about improving the defense with this pick. 5. Chris Hairston, OT Clemson. A big strong tackle with good technique and has good feet. This guy is considered an excellent pass protector who makes few mistakes. His greatest criticism is his conditioning. He is a big man that tires easily. Welcome to the NFL Mr. Hairston. Time to get serious about your workout regimen. He was CJ Spiller's team mate at Clemson. Can he open some hole's for him? Time will tell. We needed a Tackle and here he is. This was a tough draft to find a good one. Hairston is definitely a project, but he does have a lot of upside. He could turn out to be a good protector for Fitz and there ain't nothing wrong with that. 6. Johnny White, RB North Carolina. OK, we do have talent at this position, but there is no one behind Fred Jackson and CJ if one of them get hurt. White is a one cut and up the field runner who is very good at finding a lane quickly(something that CJ struggled with). He is strong, fast and considered a runner that finishes moving forward. Good pick at a position of need. This is another weapon that Fitz can use to his advantage. 7. Chris White, ILB Mississippi State. Chris was another outstanding SEC ILB. A tackling machine. His speed is his greatest criticism, but he always seems to be around the ball. Honestly, I would much rather have an instinctual player that reads offenses quickly and makes a play than someone who can't(even if they are physically gifted). This is a smart kid with a nose for the ball and that is what we need. He is considered stout at the point of attack and a vicious hitter. Not bad for the 6th round. More defense and someone else to push the LB core. 8. Justin Rogers, CB Richmond. OK another corner and I too am having trouble being optimistic about this pick, but he is another defensive addition. The one good thing to like is he is 6' tall. A trend that I am noticing is the move away from small fast defensive backs. With taller stronger WRs dominating the league, it stands to reason that the DBs covering them must also be taller and stronger. Definitely a noticeable trend at all positions in this draft is to get bigger. Gailey and company are getting ready to play some smash mouth football. 9. Michael Jasper, DT, Bethel TN. A mountain of a man with incredible agility for his size. All I can say is WOW. He is most definitely a project and may not even make the team. That being said though, if our coaching staff can turn him into a real space eating 3-4 NT, this defense is going to put the fear of God into opposing offenses. This guy has played at well over 430 pounds and has dropped below 380 since. If he is strong enough and smart enough, he could turn into the biggest steal in this draft. It is considered a very tall order at this point, but stranger things have happened. Right? How anyone can not be optimistic about this year's draft is beyond me. I know you are out there however, so fire away. Don't expect the optimists to lay down to your criticisms though. All I ask is that you play nice and remember, we are all Bill's fans. Now I need a beer.

This seems to be a pretty optimistic evaluation. Sounds like he just needs some conditioning to be a superstar.

Shoot I was high on Miller only because I didn't think there was a snowballs chance in hell Darius would still be there. As far as I am concerned, this is sign. A sign that the the stars have finally shifted in favor of Buffalo, the Bill's and the fans. Mark it down. This the turning point.

I bet Wannstache is chomping at the bit with this defense. I new when we hired him, we were going to go defense heavy, but I didn't know it would be this heavy.

He has never been given the starting job from day one either. After last year, I think he has as much of a chance as anyone to really pull off a great season. And it would be an awesome Buffalo story too. A "beautiful thing". Can you imagine how many jaws would drop if he puts up more than 4000 yards? Or more than 30 TDs. I think he has it in him.