Pro Football Weekly: Audie Cole

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Could be had in the third round and could be our Starting SSLB and finaly we could have some one to cover TEs, which we haven't done in ages .

 

 

Pro FootBall Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki on Audie Cole:

"A former high school quarterback and Golden Gloves champ, Cole is a tough, smart, instinctive, productive linebacker with excellent size, length and movement skills — good bend, balance and body control.

 

Effective playing downhill and in reverse (good ball reactions and soft hands to intercept in zone) and is a strong wrap tackler who delivers some jarring hits and limits yards after contact.

 

Lacks elite athletic ability and top-end speed but plays with his eyes, uses his hands well, times blitzes and shows playmaking ability.

 

Character player who shifted from strong-side LB to the middle as a senior but has a versatile, scheme-diverse skill set and is the type you win with."

 

http://www.fanaticalfootballfiend.com/3/category/cole%20audie1ad3196516/1.html

Edited February 24, 2012 by Buffalo Barbarian

[3rdand12]

i want one. Elite is sometimes over rated. Have you talked to Buddy yet?

[Buffalo Barbarian]

i want one. Elite is sometimes over rated. Have you talked to Buddy yet?

No he doesn't like being interrupted when he naps I'll try again latter.

[3rdand12]

Thanks for ringing him up. Maybe it's time to move Whaley up on speed dial BB. Although he enjoys a good nap as we all do now and again he might be more attuned to our future and remain alert for some of the important bits! aww shoot i still love Buddy and Chan.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Thanks for ringing him up. Maybe it's time to move Whaley up on speed dial BB. Although he enjoys a good nap as we all do now and again he might be more attuned to our future and remain alert for some of the important bits! aww shoot i still love Buddy and Chan.

I like them too but it was too hard to pass up.

[3rdand12]

lol :beer

[Astrobot]

I like Audie Cole. I hadn't put him on many mock drafts as we considered him a ILB. But the more I read of him, the more I like. The best thing to like is that he could be available in RD3. Icould see the Bllls going DE OLB then Cole.

 

Love the mock in your sig line, BB. Trumaine CB is a steal.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

I like Audie Cole. I hadn't put him on many mock drafts as we considered him a ILB. But the more I read of him, the more I like. The best thing to like is that he could be available in RD3. Icould see the Bllls going DE OLB then Cole.

 

Love the mock in your sig line, BB. Trumaine CB is a steal.

Would love it too, but you know how draft boards go. Cole played outside last year and some reports said he looked lost at middle this year so he would be better suited to outside.

[swnybillsfan]

sounds like the type of player you'd want on your team. smart and tough is a great combo.

[BADOLBILZ]

I like Audie Cole. I hadn't put him on many mock drafts as we considered him a ILB. But the more I read of him, the more I like. The best thing to like is that he could be available in RD3. Icould see the Bllls going DE OLB then Cole.

 

Love the mock in your sig line, BB. Trumaine CB is a steal.

 

I enjoy the draftek site and your work, but the truth of the matter is that reaching for need is a good long term solution to winning. The Bills have proven this.

 

The Bills "needed" a nose tackle and a 3-4 DE. So they reached for Troup and Carrington in a weak DL draft. Now forget the fact that expecting a rookie to come in and immediately cure your ills at a position like NT is a fools proposition, but the point is, they reached for need.

 

Then....what do you know....the following year turns out to be an oustanding draft for DL. Now, because Troup and Carrington didn't contribute, the run defense was still porous and faciliated the use of the #3 overall pick on DT Marcel Dareus. An excellent player, but somewhat of a redundancy considering their picks in the PREVIOUS draft. THEN.......with their second pick.....they reach for a CB in a bad year for cornerbacks.

 

The point is, reaching for need doesn't usually immediately solve the problem......so why not get the best players at key positions? Drafting for need has not sped up the turnaround under Gailey and Nix. So slotting the draft as DE/OLB/ILB or whatever set combo is just a recipe for setback, IMO.

[Cap'nCrunch]

Nice post DD. Couldn't agree more. Bills should not just draft for need, but should tend to "go big" with front 7 on D or QB/OT on offense in 1st round as a general rule in any year. Or, to put it another way, no TE, G, C, WR, or safety in the 1st round, maybe 2nd as well. That allows the 1st pick this year to be a pass rusher at DE or OLB. Also CB or an OT. If this is a weak DE/OLB year, other positions of need, i.e. OT and CB could be looked at with 1st round worthy prospects.

[BADOLBILZ]

Nice post DD. Couldn't agree more. Bills should not just draft for need, but should tend to "go big" with front 7 on D or QB/OT on offense in 1st round as a general rule in any year. Or, to put it another way, no TE, G, C, WR, or safety in the 1st round, maybe 2nd as well. That allows the 1st pick this year to be a pass rusher at DE or OLB. Also CB or an OT. If this is a weak DE/OLB year, other positions of need, i.e. OT and CB could be looked at with 1st round worthy prospects.

 

That's pretty much how I feel. I am not as big on cornerbacks as some though.

 

I know they are big dollar players and it tends to reason that because teams pass more, the quality of the cornerback must be more important than ever, right? But they are still small players and they still typically only help you directly in the passing game, and by no means on every play, meaning that they can be schemed away from almost entirely.

 

But the simple answer is big and fast over small and fast. Half of the Bills first round picks in the last 40 years have been either RB's or DB's and that has NOT served the team well.

 

One of the most overlooked aspects of using a high pick on a cornerback is how that player stacks up as an athlete and a football players(ball skills, instincts, toughness, etc..) versus other players their size in the draft. I feel that even the best CB's are generally lesser football players than good wide receivers.......and so expending high draft picks on them is in a sense conceding quality early in the draft. I mean, using a high first rounder on a guy like JD Williams or Leodis McKelvin.....guys who simply can't even track a football in the air let alone catch it is an irrational use of a premium pick.

 

I think if the draft is treated as an ongoing replenishment process, and not looked at as an annual opportunity to *theoretically* address needs......as the Bills have treated it in recent memory.....then you rarely have need do use first round picks on DB's and RB's.

 

QB above all else and elite OT's and pass rushers also trump other positions, even if not necessarily a need relative to others. I understand that OT's have been marginalized somewhat by the quick passing offenses of today but they still help you directly on every snap in both the pass AND the run game, they tend to have long careers(a big plus) and most importantly they provide protection and hopefully years of healthy production to your QB position.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

I enjoy the draftek site and your work, but the truth of the matter is that reaching for need is a good long term solution to winning. The Bills have proven this.

 

The Bills "needed" a nose tackle and a 3-4 DE. So they reached for Troup and Carrington in a weak DL draft. Now forget the fact that expecting a rookie to come in and immediately cure your ills at a position like NT is a fools proposition, but the point is, they reached for need.

 

Then....what do you know....the following year turns out to be an oustanding draft for DL. Now, because Troup and Carrington didn't contribute, the run defense was still porous and faciliated the use of the #3 overall pick on DT Marcel Dareus. An excellent player, but somewhat of a redundancy considering their picks in the PREVIOUS draft. THEN.......with their second pick.....they reach for a CB in a bad year for cornerbacks.

 

The point is, reaching for need doesn't usually immediately solve the problem......so why not get the best players at key positions? Drafting for need has not sped up the turnaround under Gailey and Nix. So slotting the draft as DE/OLB/ILB or whatever set combo is just a recipe for setback, IMO.

Troup was reach but they could have drafted Terrence Cody and then we would have been talking about how great our 34 is. I'm not say we should reach for players but that there are plenty of good players for what ever our system it's just not over thinking it and pick the best player there.

 

Are you saying Aaron Williams was reach? If so he was not as he was considered a first rounder and we got ourselves a good corner if he can stay healthy.

[BADOLBILZ]

Troup was reach but they could have drafted Terrence Cody and then we would have been talking about how great our 34 is. I'm not say we should reach for players but that there are plenty of good players for what ever our system it's just not over thinking it and pick the best player there.

 

Are you saying Aaron Williams was reach? If so he was not as he was considered a first rounder and we got ourselves a good corner if he can stay healthy.

 

I liked what I saw of Williams, but it was just a glimpse. McKelvin actually looked pretty good as a rookie. If you are out there a lot, teams will find the flaws in your game, as they did with Leodis. Williams was projected by some as a first rounder, but not necessarily because of he was an "every year" type of first rounder.......it was just perceived as a very weak CB class. Many, including Mayock I believe, felt he was more of a safety. He wasn't even a full time starter at Texas. His ball skills and closing speed were criticized. Not the type of reviews you expect for a first round CB. I felt it was a reach for need at the time and the jury is obviously still out.