BillsVet

Bell was a fine player, until he left the Bills. Now he's an injury-prone, overrated type who never lived up to his potential despite having great athleticism for playing OLT. That, and he can't spell his name right seem to be the major complaints with his move to Philadelphia.

Ken Whisenhunt disagrees. His top 5 pick at corner may have been electric in the return game, but he struggled mightily at his feature position. No one's asking Gilmore to be an All-Pro, but trusting your rookie/2nd year corners in a division with Brady to play good ball out the gate is a risk. Perhaps not a major one, but a risk nonetheless. Perhaps Florence was totally shot, but if that were the case, wouldn't it take off-season workout to know that first? It's not like Buffalo's done much on the field yet to tell.

Statistics can be manipulated, and having almost zero pass rush didn't help matters. Their CB's were hung out to dry more often than not last season and I don't think Florence was as bad as homers are now making him out to be because Nix axed the guy. Speaking of Nix, why would he give a 3 year 15M extension to Florence at 31 only to cut him 9 months later? And Mike Lombardi on the Howard Simon Show mentioned that Williams may be best suited to an inside/nickel CB position as opposed to playing an opponents top receivers. I'm not saying Florence was All-Pro, but aside from McGee, they've got 4 CB's with 1 year or less service time in the NFL not named McKelvin. I guess they figure the pass rush will off-set this youth, but it's another risk they're taking especially with Brady in the division.

Florence must have regressed a lot since last season when they signed him to a 3 year 15M deal. Moreover, with the weak pass rush which registered 13 sacks sans the Washington game, it stands to reason CB play wasn't all to blame.

Marv Levy was not GM in 2008. Russ Brandon was the GMINO, General Manager in name only. The 08-09 drafts were run by Jauron with reports from Modrak, and not surprisingly those years were poort. Even their successful picks (Byrd, Levitre, Wood) are at positions not as highly valued, especially considering their draft slot. Buffalo paid a tremendous price for having little to no leadership from 06-09. It's why this latest rebuild had to happen. Nix has done a better job, but whiffed huge by converting to a defense for which he never stocked. Hopefully he learned his lesson, but his first draft looks like another typical bad draft the bills experiened during the decade of fail.

Very nice SDS

It's kinda staggering and I was researching this when you posted it. I wonder what those scouts outside the south think of their work when they simply don't choose players outside the SEC/ACC South states. 19 out of 22 picks with 9 of 9 of their premium picks is a heckuva trend to analyze. Nix interviewed for the Atlanta GM job, and Arthur Blank hired Thomas Dimitroff.

This. If it's a contest to collect the most players, the Bills are looking good. But team building isn't Madden and requires a different type of mindset, one that a GM is supposed to have. I think Nix is fine as a regional or national scout. But as far as developing a plan to build an entire team, he's not done it. The switching of defenses proves this ad nauseam.

01 CB 03 RB 04 WR 06 S 07 RB 08 CB 10 RB 12 CB 8 skill first rounders out of 12 drafts. The defense will be improved, but I fail to see how the offense will be improved with the same cast.

The offense is going to be more like the last 13 games and less like the first 3.

Did I miss the Bills winning 10 games and making the playoffs? I thought it was the Washington Redskins who taught us that winning UFA doesn't really mean anything? Some in this fanbase on TBD are yearning for approval so bad they'll stalk other posters who aren't delusional in just assigning a playoff berth based on off-season activity.

Unless they're prepared to let Jairus Byrd hit UFA after the 2012 season. Nothing like spending resources on DB's and RB's every other year when your OT's are among the worst in the NFL. This. Nothing like building a collection of players and not a team. Best Player Available is not always the best decision to build a team. It's gotta be balanced with needs, i.e. building a team.

The problem is, it's injuries every year, Levy, Jauron, Nix, Gailey, it doesn't matter. Are you going to say teams aren't planning for that, especially at RB and WR? The Bills backup RB was a former first rounder who should be expected to carry the load. Their contingency plan at WR was laughable at best, featuring options that shouldn't be used until all else fails. I'm referring to Brad Smith, but also to Derek Hagan, Donald Jones, and David Nelson. None of those guys were even drafted by the Bills. The TE's? This team is in the stone age with respect to the position, and they way they've built that is absurd. None of them are going to run past a LB and make a catch down-field, yet most NFL teams are looking for that type. The team did not adequately plan for a backup interior OL who could snap the ball, necessitating Levitre become a nomad on the OL when Wood went down. Their OT depth was paltry,with a rookie bad bodied rookie being their swing tackle knowing full well Bell was an injury waiting to happen. And despite being a 30 front team in 10-11, they didn't use one single draft pick on a pass rushing LB in the first few rounds. I get it that people, by their very nature, create excuses when everything doesn't work out. The 5-2 start was a mirage and reality came down in mid-season. And I'll give credit where credit is due with the signings of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, but understand those moves were essential with the previous defense Nix championed going away. Outstanding post.

One has to ask how long will any team be able to do the same thing (short to medium passing) without a decent NFL defense stopping it? It's no surprise Buffalo averaged less than 17 points per game in their final 13 when they went 3-10. The QB doesn't have more than an average arm, the OT's aren't much in pass pro, and the receivers are generally a collection of short to medium route guys. I said it in another post, but the allocation of picks and UFA dollars to the defense to switch schemes has neglected the offense.

We all know the Bills started strong offensively last year, scoring 106 offensive points in their first three games. After that, the points declined significantly with Buffalo totaling only 215 offensive points in their final 13 games, or about 16.5 per. You have to wonder what Gailey thinks about the team loading up the defense these past few off-seasons with guys like Dwan Edwards, Nick Barnett, Mario Williams, Mark Anderson in UFA and then using 5 out of 6 1st-3rd round picks on defensive players. Of course, Buffalo has had to use plenty of resources on defense to vacillate from 43 T2 to a 30 front and now to a 43 Over in the span of a few seasons. The price has been an over-reliance on the HC to build an offense that can score regularly when the defense isn't at its best. It's hard to fault Gailey if the offense sputters, as Nix has only added Spiller, some bargain bin WR's, precious little at TE besides a journeyman, and added low cost options at OT. A NFL Offense needs more than that to score. I would think the time is now to look at upgrading the offense after the recent spending spree.

Given what teams are doing with TE's around the league, it's hard to understand the mindset behind not selecting a one. Chandler, Caussin, Brock, and Cinnibun are probably the worst collection of TE's in the NFL and offer very little in the receiving game. Chandler had less than 4 catches or less 11 out of 14 games for a team that threw the ball 578 times last year.

How many 6'2" OLT's are there in the NFL, let alone starting? There's a reason most if not all are at least 6'4, with the prototype 6'5 to 6'7. Levitre's arm length is inconsistent with the position, and the Bills lose in the end by moving their best OL from his natural G position.

Only once in the past 10 drafts has the top ranked OT prospect dropped beyond the 10th pick. That was in 2005 when Jammal Brown went to NO at 13th. And in an age where passing is king, it's hard to see 9 teams passing on the top OT, even with 2 premium QB's, 1 RB, a WR, and a CB on the board. Minnesota, perhaps Saint Louis, even Carolina (Gross is 31 and Otah is perennially injured) could be there. Besides, with the rookie wage scale in place, someone could move up. Making a declarative statement about a player lasting is entirely premature. Anything can happen, but it remains highly unlikely that Kalil lasts to 10.

Subterfuge this time of year is tremendous. Kalil isn't dropping outside the top 10, but someone somewhere is trying to create somnething that isn't there in attempt to place doubt into other potential suitors. It's a game and that's all.

Samuel wants to keep bloated contract, which killed the deal to Denver. No way is anyone giving Philly anything decent for a guy with that kind of contract, especially someone who turned 31 in January and doesn't fit their trend of bigger CBs in the NFL. Samuel is 5'10 about 185. FYI...Buffalo hasn't traded down in the draft since TD moved to pick Nate Clements in Round 1/2001. IIRC, every other NFL team has traded down since that time.

I don't think Troup and Carrington would be fans of a Fletcher Cox pick.

Debating the quality of an OL is a nuanced argument not summed up by stating SB winning OLT draft positions. The fact remains that QB play makes an OL better and vice versa. I could just as easily point out that a great QB significantly offsets the need for a premier OT. And I'd say if you teamed a very good OLT with a very good QB an offense can do amazing things. 30 NFL teams have used a 1st or 2nd round pick on an OT since 2006. The ones who haven't? Oakland and Buffalo.

Fletcher Cox is a great pick and may be BPA at 10. Problem is, teams have more than one position to stock every year and BPA is a luxury for teams with as many needs. Well, unless you want another RB in a league predicated on passing the ball.

I haven't seen one reputable scouting report on Cordy Glenn that says he has the physical ability to play OLT well in the NFL and thus justify the 10th overall pick. He projects inside to G or perhaps someday to ORT where he has help and won't face better pass rushers in all probability. Having 50 starts is beside the point when a player is being graded as a pro prospect and where they fit on the NFL field. He's going to struggle handling speed rushers because being a LT means being left on an island. His lack of foot quickness prevents him from being a good pass blocker. As for his athleticism, when people note he ran a 5.15 40, I think about his vertical leap which measured barely 23 inches.

I don't think anyone can discuss their first round pick options without noting how this is a make or break season. RW has spent some serious money and undoubtedly places a lot of faith in Nix, although their organizational chart is not like most teams. They can't afford, with a few big needs, to draft a developmental player who doesn't produce. They need their first rounder and perhaps 2nd to play well out of the gate. There seem to be two schools of thought with high round picks; take calculated risks or go with the sure thing. The former has more potential, but carries more possibility of a bust or under performer. The latter may get you a decent player, but one without upside. Kuechly appears to be somewhere in the middle. He has outstanding college production in a BCS conference, is intelligent, and will not be a problem on or off the field. With defenses playing nickel and dime coverage more frequently, 3 LB's in a 40 front aren't in as much demand. I don't seem them going with LK primarily for this reason, but also because they have Barnett to play the Will while having huge needs at WR and OT. That said, Barnett is past 30 and is signed through 2013 and turns 32 next month. I would not be surprised to see Cordy Glenn be the pick, although I'm not a fan of the move.