Screw The Defense In Round One

[The AntiFin]

Defense, defense, and more defense.

If "defense wins championships," how are New England and Green Bay #1 seeds?

 

Which of these WRs do you want?

As stated repeatedly, Blackmon will be long gone. I can't see Cryami passing on a receiver. If we go WR, we could get "the other guy" -- either Jeffrey or Floyd. I honestly don't have a problem with either, though I think we could trade down a few spots and still get Floyd.

Edited January 3, 2012 by The AntiFin

[PDaDdy]

I could not have been further from this thought a few weeks ago but wow, after seeing some of the top NFL wideouts break games open and now these top college WRs today, I think they can ratchet up the O and go after D in rounds 2, 3 and FA.

 

A WR certainly wouldn't be a bad idea but then you'll get everyone chanting "luxury pick" because they will be worried their pet WR SJ might not get all the attention. Fitz needs weapons to be sure at WR. In particular ones that can stay healthy. This is another pipe dream but there should be a few WR in free agency that would nicely fit the bill for us.

 

We need the defense fixed and we need it fixed FAST. Despite the deluded dreamings of some, Merriman hasn't been productive in 5 years since injuries and getting off the juice. On top of that he is coming back from off season surgery now. At best he could be a rotational guy. We need a pass rusher(s) in the worst way. Not a platoon guy but a guy that is THE guy. We also need LBs and or a nickel back that can cover TEs and slot WRs which are coincidentally New England's strengths.

 

That all being said a real NFL starting caliber LT would be the only thing I could possibly want over the top pass rushing DE or pass rushing LB with coverage skills. LT is a huge need still in my mind because I am tired of projects and experiments at the position. It would have to be someone we thought could step right in and own the spot. If not DE/LB.

Edited January 3, 2012 by PDaDdy

[CarolinaBill]

Jeffery is tinge better physically than Floyd. Which can mean the difference in catching that jump ball and not catching that jump ball.

 

However the one probably positive for Floyd is that he is a Golden Domer, so he may have the brains to handle Chan's offense.

 

Although I know nothing of Jeffery's intellect he could be a national merit scholar for all I know. It's just the GameCocks are not known for their high academic standards.

 

On second though that DUI on campus of Notre Dame may knock down that intellect argument for Floyd.

 

Plus putting a known DUI artist in Buffalo is a bad move, if you draft him in Buffalo you have to require him to use a car service whenever leaving for evening entertainment.

Gamecocks not known for high academic standards? Excuse me, since when, according to whom. We do have a highly acclaimed international business program after all.

Also, football is football, and alshon learned Spurriers offense just fine. I highly doubt he'll have an issue learning chans.

[mrags]

Gamecocks not known for high academic standards? Excuse me, since when, according to whom. We do have a highly acclaimed international business program after all.

Also, football is football, and alshon learned Spurriers offense just fine. I highly doubt he'll have an issue learning chans.

It just occured to me that your opinions would be skewed because of where you live and what you see on a weekly basis. Not saying it might not all be true but now I get why you view Jeffrey over Blackmon so much.

[1B4IDie]

It just occured to me that your opinions would be skewed because of where you live and what you see on a weekly basis. Not saying it might not all be true but now I get why you view Jeffrey over Blackmon so much.

I live in DC and went to RIT and I view Jeffrey over Blackmon.

 

I think its because I'm objective.

 

Blackmon = Crabtree in my eyes.

 

Which if Crabtree were in the 2012 draft I wouldn't want the Bills to take him #10 overall.

[CarolinaBill]

Had Jeffrey gone to southern Cal instead, my opinion would, most likely would be the same. Jeffrey has been saddled with VERY POOR QB play his entire career @USC, yet still produced.

I take nothing away from blackmon, he played with a better qb in a pass heavy offense, and he also produced big.

 

To me, the size is the biggest difference between the two, Jeffrey is a big 6-4, 230 but maintains enough speed to separate and explosion to climb the ladder for jump balls.

[mrags]

I live in DC and went to RIT and I view Jeffrey over Blackmon.

 

I think its because I'm objective.

 

Blackmon = Crabtree in my eyes.

 

Which if Crabtree were in the 2012 draft I wouldn't want the Bills to take him #10 overall.

I'm not saying he's not good. Carolina and I have been going on about this in another thread also. I'm just saying opinions could be skewed because of what you see every day. Personally I don't watch enough college football and have only seen highlights of Jeffrey so maybe I'm wrong. But I did see the Fiesta Bowl last night and watched Blackmon dominate the game when he was fed the ball. Size and speed doesn't always translate. Hell, We had a 6'5" WR just a few years ago that absolutely sucked. Blackmon to me just looks like a player. Like I've said, it looks like either one of these guys will be very good in the NFL and would like either of them in a Bills uni.

[1B4IDie]

I'm not saying he's not good. Carolina and I have been going on about this in another thread also. I'm just saying opinions could be skewed because of what you see every day. Personally I don't watch enough college football and have only seen highlights of Jeffrey so maybe I'm wrong. But I did see the Fiesta Bowl last night and watched Blackmon dominate the game when he was fed the ball. Size and speed doesn't always translate. Hell, We had a 6'5" WR just a few years ago that absolutely sucked. Blackmon to me just looks like a player. Like I've said, it looks like either one of these guys will be very good in the NFL and would like either of them in a Bills uni.

Do you remember Crabtree in that Texas Tech spread offense?

 

He was unstoppable, absolutely dominate, that would take games over. With his holdout nonsense and slow start people may have forgotten how dominate Crabtree was in college.

He was a beast.

 

Very much like Blackmon.

 

Just saying' Blackmon is good just not "6'4" 225, you cannot stop me, I will not let you even if you had a chance" Jeffery good.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Why So Serious?

[corey g]

I had the same change of heart as the OP. Wanny will prob run a 4-3, if he does we aren't in terrible shape personall wise. I would say we have 4 of the 5 most important pieces for a 4-3. 2 DT and 2 S. We are missing an MLB. But given Gaileys insistane on passing I would grab a vertical threat WR first, like Floyd and then some D

[San Jose Bills Fan]

That's what he looks like in college football.

 

In the NFL Blackmon is not a physical over sized receiver.

 

He is the same exact size as Michael Crabtree who was a dominate College WR in his day and didn't have the unstoppable #1 WR skillset for the NFL.

 

CRABTREE AND BLACKMon are good and will be good in the NFL but I doubt they're headed to TO or Megatron's level.

Seriously disagree with your equating Blackmon with Crabtree.

 

Michael Crabtree was listed at 6'3" until being measured at the combine where it was confirmed that he was actually a shade over 6'1".

 

Blackmon to my eye clearly looks to be about 6'3".

 

On top of that, Crabtree refused to run the 40 at the combine and reportedly has not been timed in it since high school.

 

Blackmon looks like a definite 4.4 guy and explodes out of his cuts.

 

It's conjecture at this point but I believe that the combine and/or private workouts will show Blackmon to be much more physically gifted than Crabtree.

 

 

[Bufcomments]

The way I see it is that Buffalo is stuck with Fitz and have no intention of going to get an upgrade next year. If that does prove to be the case, they have to load up with weapons. The only way Stevie is staying is with the tag and if they can get one of the top 2 WRs in the draft, the offense could get interesting (especially if the line stays healthy.)

 

The offense is closer to being good than the defense so why not load up on one side of the Ball? After the first round, load up on pass rushers and try and steal one in FA.

I don't think the Bills will slap the tag on Stevie(9mill). They will try to lock him up long term.

 

I agree about Fitz, Gailey has man love for him it seems.

 

Think they get a mid-tier WR in FA and hope Easley and jones and Roscoe recover from injury. WR is not as bad as people think and is the least of our problems.

 

They had to go heavy on D until they find a pass rusher. D has to get better .

[mrags]

Do you remember Crabtree in that Texas Tech spread offense?

 

He was unstoppable, absolutely dominate, that would take games over. With his holdout nonsense and slow start people may have forgotten how dominate Crabtree was in college.

He was a beast.

 

Very much like Blackmon.

 

Just saying' Blackmon is good just not "6'4" 225, you cannot stop me, I will not let you even if you had a chance" Jeffery good.

I'm sure someone somewhere said the same things about Owens, Marshall, Moulds, Boldin too.

 

I am not saying I don't think Jeffrey is good. He is clearly a speciman and will be a force. I look at him though and get jitters just thinking about a 6'5" WR running like Frankenstien out there. Really big, physical and with a tremendous verticle that can't get open or use his abilities like another WR we used to have that was a bust. I'm not saying he will be bad, I think he will be good but Blackmon to me just looks like a more rounded talent. Speed and size don't always constitute ability on the football field or Hardy would have been a probowler. Blackmons hands look great and so does his ability to shed tackles and turn the ball up the field.

I'll say it again, I haven't watched anything more than highlights of Jeffrey so I might be wrong but last night when I watched the Fiesta Bowl, Blackmon took over the game personally and they won because of his play.

[1B4IDie]

Seriously disagree with your equating Blackmon with Crabtree.

 

Michael Crabtree was listed at 6'3" until being measured at the combine where it was confirmed that he was actually a shade over 6'1".

 

Blackmon to my eye clearly looks to be about 6'3".

 

On top of that, Crabtree refused to run the 40 at the combine and reportedly has not been timed in it since high school.

 

Blackmon looks like a definite 4.4 guy and explodes out of his cuts.

 

It's conjecture at this point but I believe that the combine and/or private workouts will show Blackmon to be much more physically gifted than Crabtree.

 

I don't think Blakmon looks 6'3" to my eyes.

 

I believe he is listed at 6'1" and it is pretty rare to see a college player have that big of difference going up in their favor; usually the stats are over inflated. (Sanchez McCoy, Kellen Moore, Crabtree, etc etc etc etc)

 

http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/blackmon_justin00.html

 

So I will say this if Blackmon is actually 6'3" that will change my opinion a bit.

 

Again I'm not saying Blackmon is bad and I'm just saying he doesn't have the physical tools to be a "Megatron" or "T.O" those two were and are physical freaks that cannot be matched no mater how well Blackmon may run routes.

 

So if Blackmon is measured at 6'3" hmmm . . .I may put him above Floyd but it also makes the conversation moot as he will definitely be off the boat before the Bills pick.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I don't think Blakmon looks 6'3" to my eyes.

 

I believe he is listed at 6'1" and it is pretty rare to see a college player have that big of difference going up in their favor; usually the stats are over inflated. (Sanchez McCoy, Kellen Moore, Crabtree, etc etc etc etc)

 

http://www.okstate.c...n_justin00.html

 

So I will say this if Blackmon is actually 6'3" that will change my opinion a bit.

 

Again I'm not saying Blackmon is bad and I'm just saying he doesn't have the physical tools to be a "Megatron" or "T.O" those two were and are physical freaks that cannot be matched no mater how well Blackmon may run routes.

 

So if Blackmon is measured at 6'3" hmmm . . .I may put him above Floyd but it also makes the conversation moot as he will definitely be off the boat before the Bills pick.

Interesting.

 

He looks much taller to me.

 

We'll know in April.

 

 

[mattsox]

I'm sure the Bills will go after a WR after letting Stevie walk. The wheel spinning continues.

 

If they don't bring back both Jackson and Johnson, Buddy should be ashamed of himself. Both of them shouldn't even hit the FA Market. (Re)Build through the draft, spin your wheels by not keeping what good talent you have, What a joke if they let these players walk...

[mrags]

I don't think Blakmon looks 6'3" to my eyes.

 

I believe he is listed at 6'1" and it is pretty rare to see a college player have that big of difference going up in their favor; usually the stats are over inflated. (Sanchez McCoy, Kellen Moore, Crabtree, etc etc etc etc)

 

http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/blackmon_justin00.html

 

So I will say this if Blackmon is actually 6'3" that will change my opinion a bit.

 

Again I'm not saying Blackmon is bad and I'm just saying he doesn't have the physical tools to be a "Megatron" or "T.O" those two were and are physical freaks that cannot be matched no mater how well Blackmon may run routes.

 

So if Blackmon is measured at 6'3" hmmm . . .I may put him above Floyd but it also makes the conversation moot as he will definitely be off the boat before the Bills pick.

FWIW T.O. IS listed as 6'3" but 224lbs so you could make an arguement that Blackmon is more physical being 214 but 6'1". Usually every inch you should add 10lbs. When I watch Blackmon play he really reminds me alot of TO so I'd make that connection but if he is only 6'1" that is off a bit. I agree with SJBF that he looks alot like TO and looks closer to 6'3" than 6'1" but it could be his weight as well. Either way, none of us are saying Jeffrey is not a beast. Some of us just prefer Blackmon. It's not like were way off either considering that Kiper, McShay and probably most other pro scouts list Blackmon higher than Jeffrey as well. Why would that be?

Edited January 3, 2012 by mrags

[McD]

if your numbers are correct, the bills d got worse last year -- AFTER DRAFTING PREDOMINATELY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS!!!!

 

the answer is clear: don't draft anymore defensive players. and get poz and whitner back in this piece.

 

Wrong!!! The players drafted on D were solid. How much worse would the D stats look like if those rookies didn't play well...? Edwards is an idiot coordinator, but in his defense, he was expecting Merriman, Kyle Williams and McGee to be there. Losing them hurt big time, and now we need to draft to fill more D holes. We need an OLB and possibly DE... and as much as people might not like it, another CB.

 

I'm with the OP. Blackman or RG3 in round 1. This is a scoring league. Defense is vastly overrated, and Chan HAS NOT proven he can score the necessary amounts of points or adjust mid-game, perahps due to inadequate QB and WR's. Stevie is good, imagine him and Blackman. I think we can get Matthis in FA for 1-2 years and draft a DE in round 2-3. The best talent available this year is at the WR position. There is no dominant DE/OLB that will necessarily make a difference next year. Arthur Jones from Syr should be available in Rd. 2, along with Lindsay from Pitt.

 

"Vastly" oh brother... here we go again.

 

 

 

Williams should be better than ever. The surgery was to remove a bone spur that was grinding on his ACL, causing quite a bit of pain. That is now gone. I think a healthy Williams is as good as taking a pass-rusher in round 1, not to mention an improved and not double teamed Dearus. That's why I'd take Blackmon. That kid was playing very sick last night w/ no practice all week and looked rediculous. That's the kind of player you want on your team. Intense WR's who want to win.

 

I won't completely argue this, because KW offers so much to this team, but I'd still like to see an outside rush to compliment the middle push.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Bills need a guy you can chuck it up to that makes the play. Fitz will never hit a guy 30 yards downfield in stride on the hands. But some one that can jump and beat the corner or safety on an underthrown deep ball would give the bills a vertical attack.

[purple haze]

Yes but once these guys pick outside the top 3, chances are it's going to be an idiotic mistake anyway. From what I have seen, this Jeffrey guy is a can't miss. No reason the D can't take a big jump with FA and rounds 2-7......

 

Jeffrey can play. Michael Floyd from Notre Dame might be even better.

 

Seriously disagree with your equating Blackmon with Crabtree.

 

Michael Crabtree was listed at 6'3" until being measured at the combine where it was confirmed that he was actually a shade over 6'1".

 

Blackmon to my eye clearly looks to be about 6'3".

 

On top of that, Crabtree refused to run the 40 at the combine and reportedly has not been timed in it since high school.

 

Blackmon looks like a definite 4.4 guy and explodes out of his cuts.

 

It's conjecture at this point but I believe that the combine and/or private workouts will show Blackmon to be much more physically gifted than Crabtree.

 

End of the day if Blackmon is 6'1 who cares? That's not short by any means. Folks need to stop worrying about physical attributes more than can a player play. Steve Smith is 5'9. Would you take him on the other side of Stevie? Darren Sproles in 5'7 and he is arguably the Saints most important player outside Drew Brees. Can a guy make plays is all that matters. The rest is gravy.

[maddenboy]

 

What is your idea of an actual plan?

 

My idea, stated a few days ago, is here:

 

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/139731-lets-draft-5-linebackers/page__p__2334948__hl__maddenboy__fromsearch__1#entry2334948