Buddy's moves

[fansince88]

So what you're saying is because of drafting Spiller, not knowing Fitz was the better gamer instead of a practice player, and Merriman getting hurt your not sold on Nix?

 

How about all the good things Nix has done? How about how Merriman was instrumental in bringing some guys into Buffalo like Barnett? The hounds are about to be released on you with this awful thread.

How about that within minutes after Merriman news hit the wire we had a new OLB on the roster.

[EC-Bills]

...Nix does not have the 'eye' for talent and has proven that....why do we have him? He's cheap, old school, and will ask daddy's permission before making any type of move. Be weary of the future.

 

Nix does not have an eye for talent?!? Right, John Butler and A.J Smith brought him to San Diego with them after they left the Bills because he has no eye for talent. Nor did he play a role in adding talent to that roster Let's see his first year back with the Bills, who did they draft that has contributed: Wood, Byrd, and Levtrie. And his last two drafts as GM, he has been adding young players who are playing now and learning the ropes of playing in the NFL. Will every move be perfect? No. Go look around and you will see other GMs have missed on players too.

 

Regarding asking Daddy's permission, so you are going to spend millions of dollars of the owner's money without consulting him? It's called professionalism.

 

Try something novel next time like doing some research.

 

...I just find it ironic that many of the major players on the roster aren't Nix draft picks or UFA signings: Fitz, FJ, Johnson, Levitre, Wood, and Byrd. Dareus has been very good and Barnett a good signing, but giving guaranteed money to a guy clearly washed up and not offered much if anything by 31 other teams should say something about Nix.

 

Nix was on board with the draft that snagged Levitre, Wood, and Byrd. The Merriman signing was a gamble. If it paid off, he's a genius. If not, he's an idiot.

[BillsVet]

this has been the thing with nix. So far, the only thing he seems to have done right, is the Gailey hiring, which so far looks ok, but there is still a lot to prove on that one. Nix's first draft looks horrible right now, and although his 2nd looks WAY more promising, we haven't seen enough. And the other thing about Nix's 2nd draft, gailey obviously had more say in it with senior bowl players getting picked. So if this 2nd draft works out, it might be more credited to gailey than nix, to a degree.

 

The only FA signings he has done that I like are barnett, edwards, and davis (the guy sucks in coverage, but he was an upgrade and at least not a scrub). Though he did find a lot of nice cast offs to plug in holes.

 

Nix' best decision so far has been Gailey. But in order to be a good team and remain that way, the GM needs to make more better decisions. The change to the 34 was heralded but thus far has sucked a lot of resources and still isn't much better than year 0 of the rebuild. The options at OLB consist of late round picks and UDFA's and their pass rush is not good. The OT's struggled against the Giants, and arguably their best one struggles with injuries. And most of all, the first pick Nix had has become a part time player.

 

This is an ultra competitive league where only the top 12 teams advance to the post-season. In order to be one of those, a GM needs to 1) convert top picks to starters, 2) make good decisions in UFA, 3) hire the right coach and 4) re-sign your top players. I'd say Nix has accomplished the third, done OK in 2) struggled outside of Dareus with 3) and is incomplete with 4). That's okay if you want to be a 7 to 9 win team, but insufficient to be a perennial playoff team.

[DanInUticaTampa]

And most of all, the first pick Nix had has become a part time player.

 

I think this can be said about his whole first draft. None of those players look like they will ever have more than a part time role. carrington/moats show the most promise, but only as pass rushers and not every down players. spiller is..... well, spiller. troup shows nothing and has been injured.... easely can't stay on the field.... wang, and that other ot are gone.

 

because of that draft, this team really needs to get 4 good starters out of the last draft. dareus looks good. but will shepard, williams, harriston, or others step up in the future? I hope so. because the first draft class has given us little so far.

[Captain Hindsight]

I bet your fun at parties

[Trader]

In light of Merriman's move to IR let's look at Nix's moves:

 

- 2010 Draft they by pass needs on defense and QB for a reach at Spiller who has done minimal. This could have been forseen as Spiller and Bush are same RB 'scat back' that Nix and Gailey wanted so much. I have no problem saying that Spiller is a bust and was great in college but this is the pros. If you can't learn to run straight betweeen the tackles by now then there is a bigger issue here. Nix wanted Spiller to succeed so they could cut Jackson. You don't take a first round RB and not want to start him. Jackson is doing well and benching him would only cause a problem. Look for Bills to procrastinate on Jackson's contract. They will say he's 30 and wants to0 much money. Spiller to start for Bills next year while Jackson goes to another team.

 

- The so called QB competition when they obviously wanted to give the job to Edwards. Reason they talked about competition was to really please media and fans to make it look like they cared. Reality was they were hoping Gailey's QB magic would work on Edwards rather than looking at the tape of previous years on Edwards and seeing that he was not starter material. Bills love mediocrity and Fitz fits that mold. We'll prob lock him up for a few years. If Cam was on the board he would have been a Bill but there was no way to go wrong with out #3 pick. With the new CBA agreement structuring out rookie contracts Ralph Wilson prob got a hard on for the first time by not paying the high gauranteed money.

 

-Merriman was on decline in San Diego after injuries....Nix picked him up. Great move for leadership but leadership only goes so much if ur not on the field to back up the talk. The light has gone out. Point is this was a Nix decision.

 

-I am 50/50 if Nix gives the $ Stevie is looking for. We do need him but depends on what he's asking.

 

Nix as GM has made some very questionable moves and while the Bills are doing well it mostly part to Gailey's system and these players showing they belong. I love all these guys and what they stand for. Nix does not have the 'eye' for talent and has proven that....why do we have him? He's cheap, old school, and will ask daddy's permission before making any type of move. Be weary of the future.

 

The best thing that Nix has done to date is to sign Gailey. I have not been impressed by Nix's moves to date. I do not believe that Nix has the power to spend money. Money matters are reserved to Litmus (sic), Overdork (sic) and the old man. They are 4-2, far better than I expected. Nix certainly deserves some credit. When they signed him I promised to give him 3 years so he has more tune to do his thing. The fact that Maybin has been three times better than Merriman does not look very good. Maybe Spiller will make all pro or Darius will beat out Cam for rookie of the year. Right now both of those things look pretty unlikely. Then there is next years draft. I would love for Nix to change my mind about him.

[jkhmlf]

In numerical terms most of Nix's moves have worked out. Shawn Merriman and CJ spiller are the 2 obvious personnel moves to criticize. Who else should buddy not have brought in ?

 

 

They have tried to bring in alot of guys and most of them have contributed something. Also, our receiving corp has been decimated by injury. Our 1st, 2nd, 4th, and probably 5th string receivers have suffered some injury or are currently on IR. If our receivers were more healthy, the offense might have been more explosive in the two games we lost, thus possibly covering up our inability to rush the passer. Andra davis, Reggie Torbor, Shawn Merriman will probably not be on the team next year. Possibly dwan edwards as well.

 

 

Next year it looks like we will have to restock the defense again with new linebackers, at least one more defensive end and maybe another corner if terrence mcgee has another serious injury or mckelvin keeps playing like he has since he was drafted. No one has 100% success in every personnel decision, why hold Nix to that standard?

[dave mcbride]

The OP is on to something, and I was waiting for this post. The Bills have a few above average players, and they all preceded Nix's hiring as GM. (I'm willing to listen to arguments that David Nelson is a good player, btw.) The defense is horrible, so I'm not giving Nix any credit there for any players (show me the baby and all). That said, Nix did hire Gailey, who is a clear upgrade. That's the argument to throw against the OP. I wouldn't bring up Dareus either. He looks to be OK and on the road to getting better, but he's a weak pass rusher and is living up to the pre-draft comparisons that he's not nearly the player that Suh is. The knock on Dareus comong out was that he relatively one dimensional -- a dominant lane clogger but not agile enough to become a strong pass rusher.He should end up being a good player, but christ, he was the #3 pick overall. He better be good.

Edited October 26, 2011 by dave mcbride

[San Jose Bills Fan]

The OP is on to something, and I was waiting for this post. The Bills have a few above average players, and they all preceded Nix's hiring as GM. (I'm willing to listen to arguments that David Nelson is a good player, btw.) The defense is horrible, so I'm not giving Nix any credit there for any players (show me the baby and all). That said, Nix did hire Gailey, who is a clear upgrade. That's the argument to throw against the OP. I wouldn't bring up Dareus either. He looks to be OK and on the road to getting better, but he's a weak pass rusher and is living up to the pre-draft comparisons that he's not nearly the player that Suh is. The knock on Dareus comong out was that he relatively one dimensional -- a dominant lane clogger but not agile enough to become a strong pass rusher.He should end up being a good player, but christ, he was the #3 pick overall. He better be good.

As others have pointed out, Nix has made a slew of nice acquisitions.

 

I would say that you have to evaluate as much as possible, Nix's total body of work:

 

He hired Gailey.

 

In spite of being a big fan and supporter of Nix, I would say that the 2010 draft is NOT looking good.

 

There is still hope that Spiller will have a meaningful and substantial impact on the team.

 

Troup, Carrington, Easley, Moats and Batten are our hopes to salvage the rest of that 2010 draft.

 

As far as the 2011 draft, it's still early but I think that Dareus, Sheppard, and Hairston are looking very good right now.

 

Aaron Williams, D'Norris Searcy, and Chris White are players that I have high hopes for.

 

Then as Fingon pointed out the following free agent pickups have made significant contributions:

 

• Kraig Urbik
• Dwan Edwards
• Erik Pears
• David Nelson
• Scott Chandler
• Nick Barnett
• Donald Jones
• Chad Rinehart
• Naaman Roosevelt

I say on balance, Nix has done a good job. The 2010 draft is looking a bit disappointing, the 2011 draft is looking good, he made a good coaching hire, and his free agent pickups have been excellent.

[gravytrain]

agreed stupid post.

[Mr. WEO]

So what you're saying is because of drafting Spiller, not knowing Fitz was the better gamer instead of a practice player, and Merriman getting hurt your not sold on Nix?

 

How about all the good things Nix has done? How about how Merriman was instrumental in bringing some guys into Buffalo like Barnett? The hounds are about to be released on you with this awful thread.

Nix didn't bring in Merriman to recruit players. Couldn't Nix have brought Barnett in himself? If not, why not?

 

How about that within minutes after Merriman news hit the wire we had a new OLB on the roster.

Actually it was a guy nix cut in preseason..

[Sisyphean Bills]

As others have pointed out, Nix has made a slew of nice acquisitions.

Don't forget, his regime got a pair of 4th round picks in the subsequent year for players drafted in the 1st as well. You don't see every GM in the NFL making deals like that.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Don't forget, his regime got a pair of 4th round picks in the subsequent year for players drafted in the 1st as well. You don't see every GM in the NFL making deals like that.

Yep.

 

It'll be interesting to see how Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch play for the rest of their careers compared to Chris Hairston and whomever the Bills draft with the Lee Evans pick.

 

 

 

 

[Mr. WEO]

Yep.

 

It'll be interesting to see how Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch play for the rest of their careers compared to Chris Hairston and whomever the Bills draft with the Lee Evans pick.

Hairston, a backup to Bell, is already injured in his short stint as starter and has been replaced by Levitre. So the wisdom of these trades will be judged on this guy and "future 4th round player X"? Really?

[ganesh]

Nix as GM has made some very questionable moves and while the Bills are doing well it mostly part to Gailey's system and these players showing they belong. I love all these guys and what they stand for. Nix does not have the 'eye' for talent and has proven that....why do we have him? He's cheap, old school, and will ask daddy's permission before making any type of move. Be weary of the future.

 

Even Donahoe had a pretty good rookie draft getting Schoebel, Henry as starters.

[Estelle Getty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLY05HtYP1g

 

How can you question his moves after watching this? Seriously guys.

[xsoldier54]

In light of Merriman's move to IR let's look at Nix's moves:

 

- 2010 Draft they by pass needs on defense and QB for a reach at Spiller who has done minimal. This could have been forseen as Spiller and Bush are same RB 'scat back' that Nix and Gailey wanted so much. I have no problem saying that Spiller is a bust and was great in college but this is the pros. If you can't learn to run straight betweeen the tackles by now then there is a bigger issue here. Nix wanted Spiller to succeed so they could cut Jackson. You don't take a first round RB and not want to start him. Jackson is doing well and benching him would only cause a problem. Look for Bills to procrastinate on Jackson's contract. They will say he's 30 and wants to0 much money. Spiller to start for Bills next year while Jackson goes to another team.

 

- The so called QB competition when they obviously wanted to give the job to Edwards. Reason they talked about competition was to really please media and fans to make it look like they cared. Reality was they were hoping Gailey's QB magic would work on Edwards rather than looking at the tape of previous years on Edwards and seeing that he was not starter material. Bills love mediocrity and Fitz fits that mold. We'll prob lock him up for a few years. If Cam was on the board he would have been a Bill but there was no way to go wrong with out #3 pick. With the new CBA agreement structuring out rookie contracts Ralph Wilson prob got a hard on for the first time by not paying the high gauranteed money.

 

-Merriman was on decline in San Diego after injuries....Nix picked him up. Great move for leadership but leadership only goes so much if ur not on the field to back up the talk. The light has gone out. Point is this was a Nix decision.

 

-I am 50/50 if Nix gives the $ Stevie is looking for. We do need him but depends on what he's asking.

 

Nix as GM has made some very questionable moves and while the Bills are doing well it mostly part to Gailey's system and these players showing they belong. I love all these guys and what they stand for. Nix does not have the 'eye' for talent and has proven that....why do we have him? He's cheap, old school, and will ask daddy's permission before making any type of move. Be weary of the future.

And Ralph is cheap!

[truth on hold]

He got fleeced for a cool $7 million by merriman. Nix is really look a fool on this one. He's supposed to have better info on chargers players and turns out he missed the boat on the severity of merrimans imjuies, which started surfacing shortly after lights out arrival

Edited October 26, 2011 by Joe_the_6_pack

[tennesseeboy]

I'm the first (and may have been the first and most vocal) to criticize Buddy's drafts at the first round levels. From Anthony Davis, Maurice Pouncey, Mike Iupati to Brian Baluga in the offense to Tyson Alualu, Bradnon Graham and Jason Pierre Paul on the defense there were obvious choices which would have helped the team immensely immediately, while the one area where we actually were two deep was running back with Freddy and Marshawn.

 

That being said the proof is in the pudding. I said at the end of year and through this moment that nine wins is what it should take for Buddy and Chan to keep their job and they are well on their way toward that goal. They have the normal rash of injuries at this point in the season so we'll see what they are really made of over the next few games.

[NastyMan]

Yep.

 

It'll be interesting to see how Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch play for the rest of their careers compared to Chris Hairston and whomever the Bills draft with the Lee Evans pick.

In my eyes and after just seeing Hairston play only two games, he is way better then Lynch (is or was) at the respected positions at this point in their careers. Hands down.