How to move up in the AFC East

[Trader]

[size=4]We have been debating who to draft with the 11th pick for a while. There are several good decisions that can be made with the 11 th pick. The important thing is that the decision is made as part of an overall strategy. We all know what the problem positions are but for clairty they are in no particular order.

 

DL (2) positions one starting interior or outside pass rusher and one back up to replace McCargo who will likey be cut .

 

OL (2) One starting center and one backup/developmental player at OG spot - neither on current roster

 

TE (1) starter not on current roster

 

WR (1) Hardy will not be ready by the end of Training camp)

 

OL (2) a starting Center and one back up at G or C/G position),

 

OLB- (1) starter - Crowell or Draft or FA

 

Strong Safety (1) starter or backup (debatable)

 

QB -(1) back up not on current roster[/size]

 

For the Bills to improve each of these objectives need to be met by the end of training camp. The total is 11 players

remember some can come from the current roster or return of players at the start of training camp

 

How they are achieved whether thorugh the draft, free agency, existing player development, coaching, or return from injury it does not matter.

 

[size=5]The most important thing is that each and every item must be addressed.

 

Before we can decide who is to be the pick at 11 We need to ask ourselves the other questions and see how it all falls into the puzzle. That is the difference between a strategic approach to building a team and a tactical approach to building a team.

 

The very best you can hope for is 4 of these to be accomplished through an exceptional draft. Perhaps 2-3 starters in an exceptional draft but more likely one. The balance of the draft might provide you with situational and development players. Perhaps a 3 rd QB.

 

Lets play GM - Which players by name do you propose to fill these roles?

[Magox]

Free Agency

 

Center Jason Brown

Tight End Bo Scaife

LB Crowell

Back up QB Kitna I think is a perfect choice - lots of experience, would help in development of Trent Edwards, hopefully not too costly and could definitely fill in as a starter if need be

 

Draft

 

DT Raji if available

Safety Draft

DE Everett Brown if Raji is not available or second round Ayers

 

 

 

Cut McCargo, Royal, Restructure Kelsay's contract for something significantly less or Cut him as well

 

Trade bait if possible Mcgee ( might as well get something in return if we are not looking to resign him after this next year), Parrish

 

Resign Greer if not too expensive $5 Million a year, Resign Preston ( very unpopular on this board, but I think he provides good depth, at center and guard), Fred Jackson 3-4 year deal at about $2.5 Million a year

 

Restructure Peters and lock him up for the next 6 years $8-$9Million a year

[Turn Down For Watkins]

DL(2) B.J. Raji First Round Pick for the starting interior role. Raji will start and Kyle Williams will provide depth in the defensive line rotation for the replaced John Mccargo. Second Round Pick DE Robert Ayers for the outside pass rush help. He will slide right into the Rotation of DE's and possibly even start. He has solid size at 6-3 270 IBS. Sidenote- Bills also draft DE Phillip Hunt from Houston in the 5th round.

 

OL(2) Bills sign C Jason Brown from Baltimore to come right in and start from the get-go. Bills also draft Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin in the 4th round to help out with the developmental player at OG.

 

TE(1) Bills draft TE James Casey from Rice in the 3rd round.

 

WR(1) Bills sign WR Nate Washington from Pittsburgh

 

OL(2) Jason Brown starting center from Baltimore and Bills draft C A.Q. Schipley from Penn State in the 6th round for backup help

 

OLB(1) Bills resign Angelo Crowell for the starting LB position SS(1) Donte Whitner starts at FS and Bryan Scott starts at SS

 

QB(1) Bills sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for the backup QB position

 

FB(1) Bills also sign FB Leonard Weaver from Seattle for the FB position

 

Bills cut Robert Royal, and Chris Kelsay. Were now looking at a DT rotation of Stroud, Raji, Johnson and Kyle Williams. Also a DE rotation of Aaron Schobel, Robert Ayers, Phillip Hunt, Ryan Denney, and Chris Ellis. Bills also finally extend Peters, they give Fred Jackson his contract extension. Jabari Greer leaves the Bills for free agency and signs with the Houston Texans to become their number one cornerback.

[ganesh]

Free Agency

 

Center Jason Brown

 

We are not going to pay 3 guys on the OL top money (Peters, Dockery, Brown) and to an extent Walker. I just don't see that happening. Even a Dallas or Washington will not do that.

 

Tight End Bo Scaife

LB Crowell

Back up QB Kitna I think is a perfect choice - lots of experience, would help in development of Trent Edwards, hopefully not too costly and could definitely fill in as a starter if need be

 

I love all those three choices..However, the Bills will have to still invest on TE, and LB in the draft.

 

Cut McCargo, Royal, Restructure Kelsay's contract for something significantly less or Cut him as well

 

Trade bait if possible Mcgee ( might as well get something in return if we are not looking to resign him after this next year), Parrish

 

Resign Greer if not too expensive $5 Million a year, Resign Preston ( very unpopular on this board, but I think he provides good depth, at center and guard), Fred Jackson 3-4 year deal at about $2.5 Million a year

 

Restructure Peters and lock him up for the next 6 years $8-$9Million a year

 

I don't see why they would trade McGee. I think McGee is better than Greer (1 on 1) and I would rather extend McGee now and not re-sign Greer. Of ccourse if we want to keep Greer, McKelvin and McGee, then we can re-sign him. However, I see the Bills go to another CB in the 4th or 5th round. They also have Reggie Corner who came on well at the end of the season.

[Magox]

We are not going to pay 3 guys on the OL top money (Peters, Dockery, Brown) and to an extent Walker. I just don't see that happening. Even a Dallas or Washington will not do that.

 

 

 

I love all those three choices..However, the Bills will have to still invest on TE, and LB in the draft.

 

 

 

I don't see why they would trade McGee. I think McGee is better than Greer (1 on 1) and I would rather extend McGee now and not re-sign Greer. Of ccourse if we want to keep Greer, McKelvin and McGee, then we can re-sign him. However, I see the Bills go to another CB in the 4th or 5th round. They also have Reggie Corner who came on well at the end of the season.

You may be right about Jason Brown, he might be too costly, but it seems to me that we struggled mightily against the Big NoseTackles of the AFC East and it was obvious that having a strong center like Brown would do worlds of good.

 

As far as LB depth, we do have Digiorgio, Bowens and Buggs coming back, so I'm not too sure that we have to get more depth.

 

About Mcgee, I love the guy, I think he is one of our better defensive players. I also think that he has more value than Greer. What worries me is his payout. My gut feeling tells me that he will command over $7 Million a year. Since Mckelvin looks as if he will be as good or just about as good of a return man, he is expendable in that area. As far as his coverage skills, I think Greer is pretty damn close.

 

If we were to resign Greer and trade Mcgee we would get a good draft choice or player out of it. If we are looking to resing Mcgee then there is no doubt that we won't look to resign Greer this offseason and we get nothing in return.

 

So, not only do we save some $ by resigning Greer but we pick up a draft choice by trading Mcgee.

 

Just my thoughts

[Trader]

DL(2) B.J. Raji First Round Pick for the starting interior role. Raji will start and Kyle Williams will provide depth in the defensive line rotation for the replaced John Mccargo. Second Round Pick DE Robert Ayers for the outside pass rush help. He will slide right into the Rotation of DE's and possibly even start. He has solid size at 6-3 270 IBS. Sidenote- Bills also draft DE Phillip Hunt from Houston in the 5th round.

 

OL(2) Bills sign C Jason Brown from Baltimore to come right in and start from the get-go. Bills also draft Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin in the 4th round to help out with the developmental player at OG.

 

TE(1) Bills draft TE James Casey from Rice in the 3rd round.

 

WR(1) Bills sign WR Nate Washington from Pittsburgh

 

OL(2) Jason Brown starting center from Baltimore and Bills draft C A.Q. Schipley from Penn State in the 6th round for backup help

 

OLB(1) Bills resign Angelo Crowell for the starting LB position SS(1) Donte Whitner starts at FS and Bryan Scott starts at SS

 

QB(1) Bills sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for the backup QB position

 

FB(1) Bills also sign FB Leonard Weaver from Seattle for the FB position

 

Bills cut Robert Royal, and Chris Kelsay. Were now looking at a DT rotation of Stroud, Raji, Johnson and Kyle Williams. Also a DE rotation of Aaron Schobel, Robert Ayers, Phillip Hunt, Ryan Denney, and Chris Ellis. Bills also finally extend Peters, they give Fred Jackson his contract extension. Jabari Greer leaves the Bills for free agency and signs with the Houston Texans to become their number one cornerback.

 

Would love to see this come about!

[MattM]

Free Agency

 

Center Jason Brown

Tight End Bo Scaife

LB Crowell

Back up QB Kitna I think is a perfect choice - lots of experience, would help in development of Trent Edwards, hopefully not too costly and could definitely fill in as a starter if need be

 

Draft

 

DT Raji if available

Safety Draft

DE Everett Brown if Raji is not available or second round Ayers

 

 

 

Cut McCargo, Royal, Restructure Kelsay's contract for something significantly less or Cut him as well

 

Trade bait if possible Mcgee ( might as well get something in return if we are not looking to resign him after this next year), Parrish

 

Resign Greer if not too expensive $5 Million a year, Resign Preston ( very unpopular on this board, but I think he provides good depth, at center and guard), Fred Jackson 3-4 year deal at about $2.5 Million a year

 

Restructure Peters and lock him up for the next 6 years $8-$9Million a year

 

I agree completely other than the first round pick--the order should be reversed, as we need more DE help than DT help at the moment....

[lets_go_bills]

Free Agency

 

Center Jason Brown

Tight End Bo Scaife

LB Crowell

Back up QB Kitna I think is a perfect choice - lots of experience, would help in development of Trent Edwards, hopefully not too costly and could definitely fill in as a starter if need be

 

Draft

 

DT Raji if available

Safety Draft

DE Everett Brown if Raji is not available or second round Ayers

 

 

 

Cut McCargo, Royal, Restructure Kelsay's contract for something significantly less or Cut him as well

 

Trade bait if possible Mcgee ( might as well get something in return if we are not looking to resign him after this next year), Parrish

 

Resign Greer if not too expensive $5 Million a year, Resign Preston ( very unpopular on this board, but I think he provides good depth, at center and guard), Fred Jackson 3-4 year deal at about $2.5 Million a year

 

Restructure Peters and lock him up for the next 6 years $8-$9Million a year

 

That just about covers what I would do.

[jreed82]

QB - Leftwich (FA)

RB - extend Fred 3 years 2 mil/year

FB - Quinn Johnson LSU in Round 7

TE - Jared Cook South Carolina in Round 4

WR - Malcolm Floyd (FA)

OT - re-sign Chambers

OG - Re-sign Preston, draft Tyronne Green Auburn in Round 5

OC - Jeff Saturday (FA)

 

DT - Gabe Watson (FA) Evander Hood Missouri in Round 3

DE - Everette Brown Florida St in Round 1, Maurice Evans Penn St. in Round 6

OLB - Jon Vilma (FA)

DB - Alphonso Smith Wake Forest in Round 2

 

SUMMARY

 

FA - Byron Leftwich, Malcolm Floyd, Jeff Saturday, Gabe Watson, Jon Vilma

Draft - (1)Everette Brown (2) Alphonso Smith (3) Evander Hood (4) Jared Cook (5) Tyronne Green (6) Maurice Evans (7) Quinn Johnson

Re-sign (Diorgio, Chambers, Preston)

[ganesh]

So, not only do we save some $ by resigning Greer but we pick up a draft choice by trading Mcgee.

 

Just my thoughts

 

Good points. However, the fact that you are saying McGee will command 7M+ per year in the market indicates what kind of draft pick some one will be willing to give to get McGee and sign him to that kind of huge extension.

 

It is not as if McGee is a super star corner back.

[BuffaloBill]

DL(2) B.J. Raji First Round Pick for the starting interior role. Raji will start and Kyle Williams will provide depth in the defensive line rotation for the replaced John Mccargo. Second Round Pick DE Robert Ayers for the outside pass rush help. He will slide right into the Rotation of DE's and possibly even start. He has solid size at 6-3 270 IBS. Sidenote- Bills also draft DE Phillip Hunt from Houston in the 5th round.

 

OL(2) Bills sign C Jason Brown from Baltimore to come right in and start from the get-go. Bills also draft Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin in the 4th round to help out with the developmental player at OG.

 

TE(1) Bills draft TE James Casey from Rice in the 3rd round.

 

WR(1) Bills sign WR Nate Washington from Pittsburgh

 

OL(2) Jason Brown starting center from Baltimore and Bills draft C A.Q. Schipley from Penn State in the 6th round for backup help

 

OLB(1) Bills resign Angelo Crowell for the starting LB position SS(1) Donte Whitner starts at FS and Bryan Scott starts at SS

 

QB(1) Bills sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for the backup QB position

 

FB(1) Bills also sign FB Leonard Weaver from Seattle for the FB position

 

Bills cut Robert Royal, and Chris Kelsay. Were now looking at a DT rotation of Stroud, Raji, Johnson and Kyle Williams. Also a DE rotation of Aaron Schobel, Robert Ayers, Phillip Hunt, Ryan Denney, and Chris Ellis. Bills also finally extend Peters, they give Fred Jackson his contract extension. Jabari Greer leaves the Bills for free agency and signs with the Houston Texans to become their number one cornerback.

 

 

I agree with all of this (taking the easy way out) except Fitpatrick. The Bills need a proven vet. I think they make a hard run at Leftwich for the role .. if they can't land him then Kitna

[H2o]

Quarterback - I say we sign Kitna if we can. He's a veteran QB who's played well wherever he's been whenever he's been called upon. He would also be an excellent tutor to Trent. I would also take Cullen Harper if he's still around in the 7th round. I know he struggled this past season mightily, but he was GREAT his Junior season. I think he'd be worth taking a shot on. He has a strong arm and can make all of the throws, but needs some coaching. Turk is a QB guy and should be able to help. If nothing else, he would probably replace Chroise on the roster.

 

Full Back - Leonard Weaver would be a good addition. If we can't get him in FA, I say we draft Quinn Johnson(LSU), Travis McCall(Alabama), or Javorskie Lane(Texas A&M). I'd take McCall because the guy is nasty as a blocker, but Lane brings the added dimension of being good with the ball in his hands. I think that Lane would be an instant fan favorite once he rumbled for 20 yards barrelling over a LB and then a S.

 

Center- If we'rethinking long-term here I'd like to see us sign Jason Brown from Baltimore and re-sign Preston for depth. If it's short-term, Jeff Saturday and draft a Center in the 2nd or 3rd to learn the position behind him for a couple of years.

 

Guard - Re-sign Preston for depth. Go out and try to get Cooper Carlisle for depth also. Carlisle is solid enough and has started every game except one in the last 4 seasons.

 

Tackle - Re-sign Chambers and look at bringing in a guy like Khalif Barnes, if he's not too expensive. I'll probably get hammered for saying that, but he has starting experience and played really well at times.

 

Tight End - If Raji, Crabtree, and all of the top DE prospects are off of the board I say see if we can trade our 1st for Owen Daniels. If we draft a TE somewhere other than the 1st, I'd take Casey or Coffman.Whatever one we can snag early in the 3rd, Casey is my preference.

 

Wide Receiver - Jamarko Simmons(Western Mich.), Patrick Turner(USC), or Aaron Kelly(Clemson) in round 6. I'd like to have Simmons, but I think the other two could end up being sleepers in this year's draft. USC was loaded on offense, so Turner couldn't shine but so much and he still had 10 TD's on only 49 catches. That's a pretty good ratio. Kelly was part of a struggling offense altogether, especially at QB which really hurt his #'s.

 

Defensive End - I'd like to have Peppers regardless of how many of you guys say "he takes plays off". The guy produces and has shown he can get to the QB consistently. I think that with his change of scenery will come BIGTIME production again. If it's not in Buffalo, it will be elsewhere. Mark my words. I'd like to have us draft 2 DE's if we don't get Peppers or Suggs. My first choice, Everett Brown. If he's not there, I'd take Orakpo. I think that Orakpo is far from being this year's Gholston and will be a solid player in the NFL. He's surely strong enough to play DE and with coaching on his technique could be one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. That's why I have him second behind Brown. If he's not there, I'd reach for Michael Johnson. I still think Johnson could be the best of the bunch, but it's up to how hard he will work. He has a skillset along the lines of Jason Taylor. After the first round selection of one of those 3 guys, I'd take another in the 2nd if we get Jason Brown or the 3rd if we get an older Center like Saturday or Birk. In the 2nd round I take Robert Ayers from Tennesee. If it's a 3rd round pick I take Ayers if he's there, or Matt Shaugnessy(Wisconsin), or Brandon Williams(Texas Tech) in that order of availability.

 

Defensive Tackle - If we're not going to take Raji or Jerry I wouldn't draft any of them except maybe Ziggy Hood(Missouri). He would be the exception I might make instead of taking a 2nd DE in the draft. I think that Hood would fit well into our Cover 2 scheme as the slashing DT we've been looking for. If not either of those 3, which I seriously doubt we get, I'd go after Tank Johnson in FA and let McCargo hit the unemployment line. I'd love to see Haynesworth come here, but it'll never happen for various reasons.

 

Outside Linebacker - Resign Crowell and draft Zack Follett(Cal) or Victor Butler(Oregon St.) in the 4th. Would rather have Follett, but Butler would be a good addition as well.

 

Safety- I know I said I wouldn't want the guy because he's injury prone as heck, but sign Mike Brown if he comes at a resonable price. Then I say we draft Troy Nolan (Arizona St.) in the 5th round. He could play SS if we wanted to move Whinter to FS or FS as well.

[spartacus]

how about a bona fide OT than can backup Peters and push that lard Walker inside to G.

 

Since the bills are jerking him on his contract, he will hold again and the Bills will have a huge hole at LT.

 

If the Bills are stupdi enough to play hardball with their elite LT, they sure better put pieces in place to allow them to suffer the consequences when the plan blows up in their face.