BillsVet

The LT position continues to evolve, particularly with teams placing an emphasis on passing the ball and rushers who possess great speed and quickness. The days of 6'5-6'7 330+ behemoths handling blind side duties are probably over. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Is-the-Left-Tackle-position-evolving-in-the-NFL.html Glenn may be able to make up for less than stellar foot speed with his arm length, but he's not the prototype either. That's not to say Glenn can't be good, but he doesn't fit the mold.

If you're going to convert from a Tampa 2 to a 3-4 and don't staff it, what's the point of changing? Buffalo couldn't stop anyone with either defense from 2006-2011, and it only got worse from 2010 to 2011 in Nix and Gailey's first two seasons. It also stands to reason they'd commit to finding the most important pieces to the 3-4, the NT and OLB's. Instead, they miscast Kyle Williams as a NT, Chris Kelsay as an OLB, and signed the now departed Shawne Merriman to be the other OLB. Compare that to how Green Bay went from 40 to 30 front in 2008-09 (hiring Capers, drafting Raji and Matthews Jr.) or Pittsburgh upon hiring a former T2 DC in Tomlin. They either didn't change defenses, or drafted well to hasten the transition.

I disagree. Nix was the more adamant of the two that Buffalo switch to a 30 front. Gailey's no slouch and knew they needed an infusion of talent all over the field. Why would a team with 40 front personnel, albeit the DJ version, radically change their scheme at the beginning of a major rebuild? Even noted 3-4 disciple Bill Parcells moved to it over the course of 3 years, not attempting to do it in one off-season. Furthermore, Gailey has predominantly used 40 front defenses during his time as a HC, and his comments after his hiring indicate that to me: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/20/transition-to-3-4-defense-would-be-tough-for-bills/

In defense to Gailey, I think it was Nix's call to move to a 3-4. It's conceivable that Nix and Whaley's experience running the 3-4 defensively that led to the decision. And it being Gailey's first HC job since 1999, he probably didn't have room to argue. As for the talent evaluation, I think this team is making more mistakes re: starters versus backups than many want to admit.

I'll be here. And if they're 10-6 going into the playoffs, kudos to Nix, Gailey, and company. Should it be anything less than a playoff appearance, the excuses should be about over by now.

It only cost them 10M to find out and 2 defenses to figure it out. You pay a price changing players from 5 tech DE's into DT's, 34OLB's into 43 DE's, 34ILB's into MLB's, etc. Merriman was a casualty of changing defenses and simply not playing the RDE position. For all the Buddy love going on here, it's interesting to note that during his tenure as GM, Buffalo is 10-22, now on their second defense (and DC) not to mention some very questionable draft picks and free agent signings. Every GM makes mistakes, but some make more of them. Merriman is a microcosm of how football management is struggling to build this team 3 offseasons into their latest rebuilding.

Which goes with the point that Minnesota was doing more planning-wise. But it also demonstrates that when the regular season begins, teams are constantly looking for a weaknesses. Right now there are 4 guys in the back 7 on defense who are fairly untested or have question marks about them. I expect teams to look for ways to off-set the front 4 push and how Buffalo counters this will be very interesting to watch. Talent typically wins, but there are times when coaching has to provide the margin. I'm looking forward to see how Gailey and Wannstedt on their respective sides of the ball counter.

But he's wasn't re-signed to that large contract to simply be a game manager. Sure it's one pre-season game, but Fitz has 30 starts in Gailey's offense with receivers who he ought to be familiar with by now. Say what you will about him keeping them in games, but he has a penchant for turning it over when it hurts the most. The Giants game last season was a prime example, and there simply aren't many teams who get into the playoffs with a game manager type at QB. I think Gailey's reputation as a good offensive mind will be significantly tested this year. Furthermore, it took into the fourth game of the season last year before teams figured out Buffalo's offense. No matter how good the defense is, the offense needs to carry their weight.

Now here is the civility which has driven plenty of knowledgeable posters away. You can pat yourself on the back for being wrong more often than not, yet still have the audacity to keep coming back and acting like a total d-bag. Congratulations. This board is worse with you on it. Not every Bills fan has to be a massive homer to post here. Stay classy.

Buddy's grade as a GM remains incomplete with signs pointing up and down. 2010 draft, 2010 and 2011 UFA acquisitions aren't so hot. 2011 draft looks better, 2012 UFA signings excellent at this point. Still, it's a team under Nix working on their 2nd defensive scheme, have already fired a coordinator, have some offensive personnel challenges, and went 10-22 in their first 3 seasons. It's a make or break season and nothing less than a playoff appearance is acceptable.

Kelsay's strongest trait has always been his durability, but at 33 and having missed time last season, even that is in question entering his 10th NFL season. He's a good guy and probably an exemplary teammate, but personnel decisions often involve contracts. With Williams and Anderson on board and sure to get plenty of snaps, it'll be interesting what Kelsay's role becomes. He'll probably make the team, but he's not automatic either at this point in his career. Problem is, he won't be playing his natural position and DE's typically aren't paid big dollars to be a 2 down run stopper. A lot depends on how Mark Anderson is used at RDE and whether any of the younger types develop.

I'd agree. I don't think anyone figured Buffalo would make the post-season in 2010, and the chances in 2011 weren't high given the roster. But beginning this season and for the next few it should be playoffs or bust. You don't re-sign SJ, FJ, RF, then spend big in UFA on MW and MA and not expect to make the playoffs. It's unfathomable that RW would spend that kind of cash and not expect a post-season win, let alone an appearance. It's time.

How is it that a guy goes 7 seasons in the NFL and only now realizes he has bad mechanics? Did he have any coaches, especially the "esteemed" George Cortez these past 2 seasons? Buffalo's offense is built around the short passing game, as the receivers aren't deep threats, the QB doesn't have a plus arm and the OL is built more for run blocking the pass pro. I will never forget the Giants game and seeing Fitz toss 2 INT's on passes beyond 20 yards. His accuracy downfield was among the NFL's worst, which is something I don't see changing. There just aren't many NFL QB's who magically improve in their 8th season. Beginning with the Bengals loss, Buffalo got figured out offensively. For the record it took 3.5 games: jam the receivers, disrupt their route running, and Buffalo's offense ground to a halt. Those first 3 games were more the exception that the rule scoring wise for the 2011 season, in large part to Fitz's physical limitations. And David Lee can't fix that.

How about the seven seasons from 2003-2009 when he was at his natural position and recorded all of 22 sacks, or 1 for every 5 games. Add in the 5 fumbles he forced, 3 picks, and 1 safety and that's 31 impact plays in 7 seasons. If Kelsay had signed an extension in 2010 for 3 years and 10M I think there'd be a lot less criticism, but he didn't. DE's get paid to get to the QB and Kelsay doesn't despite have a decent sized contract.

Because 2nd round picks aren't supposed to enter their third season in the NFL as backups. Easley is a 4th rounder and thus a lesser resource was used on the him, not to mention he's shiny and new not having taken a snap in a regular season game. Even if Troup returns 100% in 2012, he'll be nothing more than a rotational player behind K. Williams and Dareus. And then there's Heard and a few others who'll be challenging him for time, which could put his roster spot in jeopardy.

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.