Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Just as talented as the Broncos? What? They are far superior, especially on offense. We have better running backs and a better defensive line. That's about it. I agree with the larger point you're making, but I think you should look at the Colts to make it, not Denver. Honestly, it's tough to say because Peyton manning makes everyone look a thousand times better. But to my eye, Demariyas Thomas is a middle of pack no 1, decker is nothing but an average possession receiver, and welker is solid but old. The broncos RBs are pedestrian and their oline is average. Julius Thomas might be the only true top 10 skill player at his position that they have on offense, and they kind of lucked into him. On defense, I would take our secondary and dline over theirs. Their coaches are a bunch of retreads too. But even if we disagree on this, I think we agree on the effect manning has on an entire team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Seems nearly everyone agrees that in the area of "holes," there are two that can be filled this off season and draft: LB and LG. Beyond that, there is the QB question which will NOT be addressed this year. Without a doubt, EJ will be given this off season and full regular season to make it or break it. I personally don't believe he will ever be a franchise QB or even a reliably middle of the pack one but he will be "the guy" this year. The rest of the positions (WR, TE, RG, RT, etc.) are about upgrading. A lot of offensive problems will be solved with much improved QB play which hopefully the Bills will get with EJ (but I'm not holding my breath). And for the heck of it, if the Bills are considering a TE in the later rounds, here's my candidate (based strictly on his name): Gator Hoskins out of Marshall. He'll be playing in the Senior Bowl. Edited January 20, 2014 by yungmack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Owner, GM, HC, OC, LG, LB, soon FS and possibly QB. Edited January 20, 2014 by bobobonators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 #1- FRANCHISE QB #2- LG #3- LB #4- RT #5- TE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Just as talented as the Broncos? What? They are far superior, especially on offense. We have better running backs and a better defensive line. That's about it. I agree with the larger point you're making, but I think you should look at the Colts to make it, not Denver. Yea, i don't even know how you could compare that Broncos receiving corps to the Buffalo Bills corps with a straight face. Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker & TE Julius Thomas. Just which do you double cover to take away? Plus that Denver O line has a #1 draft pick, two #2's draft picks, a #3, a #4, and not a half a line of scrubs off the waiver wire. You would be surprised how much that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Honestly, it's tough to say because Peyton manning makes everyone look a thousand times better. But to my eye, Demariyas Thomas is a middle of pack no 1, decker is nothing but an average possession receiver, and welker is solid but old. The broncos RBs are pedestrian and their oline is average. Julius Thomas might be the only true top 10 skill player at his position that they have on offense, and they kind of lucked into him. On defense, I would take our secondary and dline over theirs. Their coaches are a bunch of retreads too. But even if we disagree on this, I think we agree on the effect manning has on an entire team. The #4 receiving WR in the NFL in 2013, 92 rec 1430 yards. Demaryius Thomas a middle of the pack, really? Eric Decker #12 with 87 rec, 1288 yards Welker with 73 receptions this year. He also has been a top 5 WR in the NFL since 2007, and he has had over 100 receptions every year since that time. TE Julius Thomas with 65 receptions this year, and there isn't many big play, clutch tight ends in the league as good as he was this year. There is no question that Manning has had a great impact on all those players, save Welker. Just think Manning was out there as a free agent, and the Bills didn't even make an offer... I would take that Denver coaching staff over the Bills staff eight ways to Sunday. Can we also trade the owners and Elway for Brandon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Crater - LG Gaping - TE Sizable- LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 QB. Without a QB, nothing else really matters. Manuel is not the answer, so the Bills can do whatever they want at the other positions, but until they get a QB who is a leader and can throw the ball accurately, they will never move forward...... BINGO!!! And now more than ever, its a QB driven league. Use the Denver vs NE game as an example....it boiled down to Manning outplaying Brady in that game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 LG, RT, TE (depending on Moeaki), LB, S (depending on Byrd), QB (depending on EJ) What he said? I thought we all agreed on this board these are the most glaring holes. I'm hopeful,we retain Byrd, and possibly pick up two lineman in free agency. Draft the big WR, TE, ILB, and yes another QB. I'd rather trade down a little from 9th to get a mid round 1st, and two seconds. Look how well it worked last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Cain Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Nice post. Tough question to answer. I think if you have a solid--but not elite--QB (Flacco comes to mind), you can win. But it seems like it's more of a crap shoot every year. Any team with Brady or Manning will be competing for the Super Bowl every year. A team with Flacco may legitimately have a shot to win the Super Bowl once or twice in a guy's 15-year career. I believe Flacco & Ryan both 2008 rookies made the playoffs each of their first 5 years, but failed this year. Ryan appears to be the more consistent QB, however Flacco has the better arm. What happened this year to both teams & why did they struggle? Injuries, & lack of depth at the skill positions. All this said I will take Flacco over Ryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The #4 receiving WR in the NFL in 2013, 92 rec 1430 yards. Demaryius Thomas a middle of the pack, really? Eric Decker #12 with 87 rec, 1288 yards Welker with 73 receptions this year. He also has been a top 5 WR in the NFL since 2007, and he has had over 100 receptions every year since that time. TE Julius Thomas with 65 receptions this year, and there isn't many big play, clutch tight ends in the league as good as he was this year. There is no question that Manning has had a great impact on all those players, save Welker. Just think Manning was out there as a free agent, and the Bills didn't even make an offer... I would take that Denver coaching staff over the Bills staff eight ways to Sunday. Can we also trade the owners and Elway for Brandon? The stats are meaningless because if you put Peyton manning on the bills, Stevie, TJ Graham and Scott chandler would have comparable numbers. We would be talking about marrone as coach of the year, and hackett would be interviewing for head coaching jobs now. that's what manning does for a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The stats are meaningless because if you put Peyton manning on the bills, Stevie, TJ Graham and Scott chandler would have comparable numbers. We would be talking about marrone as coach of the year, and hackett would be interviewing for head coaching jobs now. that's what manning does for a team. Ya, Peyton Manning should not be utilized in an example pertaining to anything. He's on another planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The stats are meaningless because if you put Peyton manning on the bills, Stevie, TJ Graham and Scott chandler would have comparable numbers. We would be talking about marrone as coach of the year, and hackett would be interviewing for head coaching jobs now. that's what manning does for a team. I would agree with this. The proof is the Colts perennial playoff team with him, 1-15 without him. That being said, only Payton and Brady are so good that they can make a team with average talent a playoff team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobChalmers Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) I still think we need an upgrade at corner in place of McKelvin. He gets beat on too much of a regular basis. Did you copy and paste this from 1-2 years ago? McKelvin was terrific this year! Don't agree Byrd leaving makes FS a "hole" - it would make it an upgradeable position. Enough with the QB judgments - it's just so much pointless noise. NO ONE KNOWS if Manuel is the guy, but there is every reason to give him another year to figure it out. If you made me bet on it, I'd bet he's not a franchise answer at QB - but there's roughly a 40% chance he will be - it's worth giving him a full off-season and finding out. He always was known as a developmental guy anyway, and he certainly has a good attitude and work ethic, so why not see if that pays off? That doesn't mean if one they like falls to 9 they shouldn't grab him - it just means they shouldn't feel compelled to get another QB. Most importantly, they WON'T grab a QB, so enough whining about it already. Edited January 21, 2014 by BobChalmers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Ya, Peyton Manning should not be utilized in an example pertaining to anything. He's on another planet. I would agree with this. The proof is the Colts perennial playoff team with him, 1-15 without him. That being said, only Payton and Brady are so good that they can make a team with average talent a playoff team. I have said this before, but Peyton Manning actually was the entire Colts organization. It was a crappy organization--with a bad owner, poor FO, and terrible players and coaches. Manning came in, and gave them 15 years of success (including the success needed to build a new stadium). Take him away, and everything was exposed. (Through dumb "luck," they've landed basically Peyton Manning Part II....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I have said this before, but Peyton Manning actually was the entire Colts organization. It was a crappy organization--with a bad owner, poor FO, and terrible players and coaches. Manning came in, and gave them 15 years of success (including the success needed to build a new stadium). Take him away, and everything was exposed. (Through dumb "luck," they've landed basically Peyton Manning Part II....) Didn't Indianapolis acquire Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Reggie Wayne, find Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Edgerrin James, or another players? Personnel wise things started going downhill when Chris Polian assumed more responsibility, but Bill put a lot of talent around Peyton. I love in society how when someone or a company is successful that luck is cited as the main reason. No one ever has skill, but chalking it up to luck remains one of the greatest ways of minimizing another success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigK14094 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Need help at LB...a run plugger, then the D will be ready. Need a plan to keep all the talent that emerged this year (finally) on the D. Not sure that includes byrd, drafting a mid round safety makes sense imo. On the offensive side of the ball, need to keep Chandler, and get another TE, unless Moeki is that one. Smith, Gragg are not the answer. A #1 wideout is also needed....an Watkins would bench or get rid of pretenders on the roster (Hogan) And, with the potential loss of both Spiller and Jackson after next season, need to draft a RB to be a successor to one of them. Yes, a tackle makes sense....one that can play LT also. (see Michael Oher who playled RT for the first year or two) Finally, not to be repetitive, but the QB position is the most undermanned position on the roster. But, I don't think this administration has the stones to draft another this year....they have to defend the Manual selection...and provide an environment for his success. I don't think another QB on the roster who is a starter potential hurts the starter (see Kirk Cousins) Lewis is serviceable, and has a skill set not so different than EJ....and that is our likely status for 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4BillsintheBurgh Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Uhhh, hello people! #1 on the list is core special teams players! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 The stats are meaningless because if you put Peyton manning on the bills, Stevie, TJ Graham and Scott chandler would have comparable numbers. We would be talking about marrone as coach of the year, and hackett would be interviewing for head coaching jobs now. that's what manning does for a team. C'Mon man, you really think that simply swapping EJ for Peyton would have the same results? Are you seriously comparing Decker, Welker, D Thomas, J Thomas, to the Bills receivers? Stevie Johnson injured all season. TJ Graham is so lacking in talent he wouldn't even make the Broncos practice squad. Woods might have done better with Manning, but he was also injured. Scott Chandler sees a tackler and falls down on his own. Then you have the disparity between the O lines, the passing scheme, the play calling, the special teams, the coaching. There is far more difference between a 13-3 team, and a 6-10 then I think you realize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agardin Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 For me there are holes on the O line, WR and LB. Upgrades at those plus more consistency from Manuel and the Bills are well on their way to hosting a playoff game. I think they should take a run at Butler from SD for the LB spot, draft Oline and WR as I don't see any FAs leaping off the page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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