BillsVet

Teams may have equal dollars to spend and there's a draft to supposedly level the playing field with talent. Neither though work when you have inferior football minds using them to build a team. And if the GM is the most important personnel guy, it makes sense that Buffalo couldn't get it done from 2006-2012. One would hope Whaley has a better plan than his predecessors and it doesn't include drafting more DB's, RB's, and small/fast skill players. That approach hasn't worked so well in the regimes before him.

Why draft a 3 technique DT when this team has its greatest strength at the position already? Since the new CBA, there's been 8 trades within or to get into the top 10 picks. 6 of those were not made to pick a QB. Question is, do you support EJ to take a blocker or a skill player? And then, are you willing to use future resources to do so? I think on the latter they are now that the Doug's backs are against the wall to win this year.

http://www.history.buffalobills.com/Pro+Bowl+Selections+(By+Year) Pro Bowl selections for this team post-Donahoe is a pretty narrow list. If that isn't emblematic of some poor drafting then nothing is. And to an earlier point, two of their Pro Bowl selections (Byrd and Peters) were permitted to sign elsewhere, one (Lynch) was traded and another signed via UFA (Mario). That leaves Kyle Williams and C.J. Spiller as the only Pro Bowlers drafted since 2006. Not good.

There really is no 2015 for Whaley and most likely Marrone without a playoff season in 2014. New ownership spending upwards of 1B for the team means they have to produce now or face losing their jobs. I expect to see them gamble and that could mean trading a pick in 2015 as a result.

There isn't a proven starting DE opposite Mario on the roster that fits Schwartz's scheme. And while I'm not going to say Schwartz = Wannstedt, both try to get pressure from their front 4. Alan Branch isn't going to do that for you and Jerry Hughes is a liability against the run. They need a base end who can get to the QB and hold their gap against the run. But I'd agree it's not a strong DE draft, certainly not for teams running the 4-3.

Mayock's had several opportunities to work in a front office but has turned them down. His excellent draft reputation is definitely earned. I like Jeremiah for his opinion, but also because unlike Charles Davis and other clowns, he doesn't think it's a sitcom environment.

That's a huge conflation of the argument. Sure, every team could upgrade, but the Bills' baseline at some positions is woeful. I've made the point repeatedly that they lack a DE opposite Mario in Schwartz's scheme. Right now I've got to believe Jarius Wynn is the guy, and he's a journeyman. Or there's Alan Branch who is a 43DT or 34DE, not someone I'd want in on 1st or 2nd down passing plays when Jerry Hughes is off the field. At RT, it's obvious Pears is at the end and needs replacement. Is he upright and somewhat healthy? Yeah, but he's not good. Hairston is a complete unknown. A lesser need might be safety and TE, but they should be improved sooner rather than later. This is a 6-10 team that lost Byrd and picked up Graham, B. Spikes, Keith Rivers and Chris Williams. Does that make them a 10-6 playoff team? I don't think it does. They need some serious upgrades.

Dallas doesn't need a LT, they've got Tyron Smith, while the Giants may need that guy-they drafted Justin Pugh in the first last year though. Both may need another OT though. At the same time, trading up is something you do when you're a player away. The Bills aren't that right now despite what they broadcast. They need help at RT, DE, TE and we don't know if Corey Graham can play safety because he's never done so in a 7 year career.

Martin may well be a versatile OL who is better than the other 3 higher ranked OT's. But he'd be a marketing nightmare for a franchise with a cloud of uncertainty over it. (Not that it'll move, just that we don't know the ownership situation right now). But this is what happens when you win meaningless games at the end of the season and find yourself drafting just after the top tier guys are off the board.

The chances of anyone getting the first half of the first round correct probably aren't much better than picking winners for all NCAA tournament games. Does that mean no one should try? Mayock's one of, if not the best in the business. If the standard of excellence is 100% then no one need apply.

Depending on how things shake out next Thursday, that's probably the best option. But I don't see anyone wanting to trade to 9. It's no man's land because by then the elite prospects are gone and the value for the next rung of players isn't enough to give up a 2nd IMO. I guess we'll see though because strange things happen.

Glennon is an upgrade over the 2 QB's selected ahead of him in the 2013 draft. At least at this point.

You have to wonder what OBD is collectively thinking right now. With the owner passing last month all of them must be concerned about their future and the likelihood is they aren't going deep in the playoffs this coming season. They want to make both an impact and have a splash to impress future ownership they can get it done. And trading away a first next season with another pick this year is the price they might be willing to pay to do it. This is the strangest off-season in the history of the team for the obvious reason. And that's going to affect their decision making process.

Would the Bills trade for Watkins after waving the white flag on 2 of Eugene Parker's clients? If not for the slotting of rookie deals since the last CBA, it'd be fun to watch contract negotiations.

Hughes isn't going to see the field enough on 1st and 2nd downs to be a DE in a 4-3. He's a quasi-situational pass rusher who generally struggles against the run.

If Schwartz is going to a 4-3, I'd be interested in who will be the (edit: RDE). Jarius Wynn is a career reserve, Lawson is undersized and doesn't fit the new defense, so do they draft someone and immediately start them? And if reports are correct that Graham will be the FS, well, he's learning a new position. That, and I'm not sure Keith Rivers is a guy you want on the field as much presuming he'll be playing the pass with Alonso when they go to a nickel alignment. The defense is by no means a slam dunk despite years of high draft picks and significant spending on UFA's. They'd better be top 10 this season or it could be a long one.

Who knows how far trade talks went, but there are now three coaching staffs who've not made Spiller a centerpiece of the offense. Clemson used Spiller in specific roles for 3 of his 4 years, as did Gailey until FJ went down in 2011. And last year, Marrone and Hackett managed to get him the ball 235 times in 15 games, somewhat the result of his being injured with that high ankle sprain. Spiller is too nicked up to be a guy that gets 20 carries a game. I think the greatest limitation Spiller has is not physical. Besides, how many years does it take a RB to "break out" and become a solid starter? Guy's been in the NFL 4 seasons now and couldn't get the starting gig until FJ was hurt.

Does this mean Casserly is officially not liked by TSW? And why hasn't anyone found a single bad draft pick during his time as a GM to demonstrate without question that he doesn't know what he's talking about? Then again, picking QB's when you have to isn't usually a recipe for success.

Peyton was a rookie in 1998. Eli in 2004. The NFL's changed quite a bit since then, particularly the rules benefitting the passing game. There was a movement here a couple years ago that talked about how Fitzpatrick could improve his accuracy with work on mechanics. Fitz, a couple years later, remains an inaccurate QB. And it seems as though EJ doesn't trust himself enough to throw receivers open as another indicated already.

Despite the free agent additions, the team still has some serious issues. Exactly. It would be nice to have a better option at RT, free safety, and tight end. But the fact remains that there is almost nothing to play RDE opposite Mario in Schwartz's new defense. It will be a departure from Pettine's scheme and thus, requires different types of players. I'm not sure their roster is in the condition to take BPA when their pick roles around on May 8th. It's probably a BPA at a position of need, and DE is one of them. Although in no way am I suggesting they'll make a move for Clowney or overdraft a guy like Dee Ford or Kony Ealy.

Are sacks a metric to demonstrate run defense? Because the Bills weren't good there last season and Hughes and Lawson aren't DE's in a 4-3 scheme either. Wynn has more size, but he's a journeyman who won't magically become a starter in his 5th NFL season. They need another DE for Schwartz's defense and that guy simply isn't on the roster right now.

I'm still not sure who's playing DE for this team aside from Mario. The guys on the roster aren't every down players (Hughes and Wynn) with nothing behind them. As much as people talk about a weaknesses elsewhere, they've got no starting caliber DE to line up opposite Williams.

For a team going to Schwartz's version of the 4-3, they sure don't have many pure DE's. Outside of Mario I don't see one. Hughes isn't an every down player and Alan Branch isn't suited to being a 4-3 DE either. They need help at safety, RT, and TE. But nowhere on the roster is the need more acute than at defensive end. Not saying that's where they have to go, but it's sure a big issue.

The most dangerous place in Washington is between Chuck Schumer and a camera. WNY hasn't improved much during the 16 years he's been a NY senator and I've rarely if ever seen him do anything other than talk. As for Jacobs, he wasn't lauded as much until only a few years ago. Anyone who likes that he's interested in the Bills needs to research his Bruins ownership until about 5 years ago go see that he wasn't as loved for most of his tenure in Boston.

I sense a little pessimism there. I'm not sure in a year like this that drafting an OT at 9 gets the value a team needs drafting in the top 10. They need more talent at the WR position and might very well secure a decent OT in the second. OTOH, OT's (like QB's) tend to be over-drafted and so it depends on where they see the drop-off at both positions. That is, if they really see WR and OT as needs, which I hope they do. Either way, they know they need to give Manuel all the opportunity to win-now.