Steely Dan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 He has a 3 year contract...they didnt keep him with the intention of firing him this year...sure they may very well do so if he falters, but I am wiling to bet the FO is a little more optimistic about our team than you. So letting him fill some spots in the draft is just fine. And there are not any real prominent free agent players out there that fill any glaring holes. And if Schobel gets back healthy and back to form, we dont have any big "glaring holes" outside of TE and even thats debateable since we dont really know what Fine can do yet. There are positions we could use some upgrades to for sure, but I just dont see those players out there in FA that are definite upgrades. So, that leaves us with the draft to fill those spots or even possible trades. Tim Graham said there have been some trade flirtations with the Bills from the Owners meetings that he will be writing about as more develops. So, we may be done with FA, that doesnt mean we still cant bring in some more talented upgrades like a TE, DL, or OL player via trade. LG, LB and TE are glaring holes right now. Two of those can be taken care of through the draft with the first and second round picks but they are still an iffy fix. Part of the problem is that FA was very weak this year and there are guys floating around that will probably be available after the draft for a weak fix at the LG spot at least. If Schobel returns fully healed and if Ellis' problems were injury related last year then DE may not be as big of a need as some think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlbillsfan1975 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 LG, LB and TE are glaring holes right now. Two of those can be taken care of through the draft with the first and second round picks but they are still an iffy fix. Part of the problem is that FA was very weak this year and there are guys floating around that will probably be available after the draft for a weak fix at the LG spot at least. If Schobel returns fully healed and if Ellis' problems were injury related last year then DE may not be as big of a need as some think. I think you are exactly right about Ellis. But i think we will know the coaches/team thinks about him on day one. But LG and OLB are high priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 LG, LB and TE are glaring holes right now. Two of those can be taken care of through the draft with the first and second round picks but they are still an iffy fix. Part of the problem is that FA was very weak this year and there are guys floating around that will probably be available after the draft for a weak fix at the LG spot at least. If Schobel returns fully healed and if Ellis' problems were injury related last year then DE may not be as big of a need as some think. That was really my point of my original post. We do have holes, but I am not so sure the FA out there are really that much of an upgrade an we can probably better fill them in the draft. TE is clearly a need, but there is nothing on the FA market that would be a better option then D. Fine at this point IMO. I think we definitely upgrade this position, but it will be in draft or via trade. I dont see a lot of options at LG still out there either. Again, probably best filled in draft. So, I know we have holes and places we could use upgrades, but I just dont see those upgrades out there right now in FA and that was the issure the OP had...not signing FA's to fill those spots. I am very confident that we will draft a TE in first 3 rounds, probably first 2 rounds unless we trade for one. If we do trade for one, then I would look at a DL or LB in round 1 and OL in round 2. And like you said, if Schobel and Ellis are healthy and in form, we may not have a huge hole at DE... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Not everyone here has access to ESPN Insider's Free Agency Tracker. If they did, they'd know that the cupboard is almost completely bare. I mean there's nothing but marginal players left...or those with injury or other issues. One guy who slipped through the cracks a bit and was signed about an hour ago is Rod Coleman. He's the DT who made the Pro Bowl in 2005 and has 58.5 career sacks and 11 career forced fumbles. His last big year was 2006...he played only 7 games in 2007 and was out of football last year. He was released by the Falcons the same day they released Alge Crumpler and at the time I was hoping the Bills would have an interest in both players. Coleman will be 33 in August. He's a quick, penetrating tackle who excels in pass rush. Might have made a nice situational player. I think his injury issues dropped him off the radar screen. But the Saints just signed him. LeCharles Bentley is still out there too although if 32 teams have no interest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsGuyInMalta Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 But...we're bringing in Maurice Hicks for a visit on Monday! Take that Buffalo writers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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