Nix's first draft with the Bills was a draft where he had very little time to prepare and had a new head coach in Gailey. The philosophy was the Bills would be a run-first offense and 3-4 defense. Now, with two full seasons under our belt, let's take a look at the 2010 draft and see how the prospects are falling into the vision (and future) of the team.

Here is a breakdown of the 9 draft picks we had:

QB - 1, RB - 1, WR - 1, OT - 2, NT - 1, DE - 1, OLB - 2

Of the 9 draft picks, three are no longer Bills (Ed Wang, Levi Brown and Kyle Calloway) and three of the six remaining players (Marcus Easley, Arthur Moats, Danny Battan) will be borderline 2012 Bills. Overall, our top three picks still have questions but Spiller appears to be turning the corner and is an elite player. Let's revisit the draft, pick by pick.

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Full disclosure:  I'm a Bills fan...  The Bills didn't see Maybin fit to make their roster because of his lack of fitting into the traditional 3-4 defense.  Maybin struggled greatly with setting the edge as a 3-4 OLB and getting pressure on the QB because the tackles were manhandling him.

In training camp this year, OT Wang (from Virigina Tech) all but shut Maybin down in one on one drills.  Wang isn't even in the NFL now so his capabilities as a 3-4 OLB as severely limited to pass rush situations only.

So that takes us to his pass rushing skills (why he was drafted of course).  The major problem with Maybin is he tries to just run around the tackles.  I watched Maybin in his pass rushing last night and he displayed his one pass rush move that he has (speed).  On his sack, he was manhandled by McKinnie.  McKinnie simply gave up on Maybin.  Flacco (is he had an internal clock) should have gotten rid of the ball before Maybin got to him.

I've been reading on the Jets boards that he got a ton of pressure.  I really didn't see it.  It looked like he ran 10 yards into the backfield then got beat up by the tackle when he finally tried to close in on the QB.  Getting into the backfield isn't pressure.

One thing is for certain, the kid is fast.  Really fast.  But his lack of moves, severely limit him to pass downs only and his "go around the tackle" creates a HUGE hole in the offensive line.  Look for draw plays when Maybin is in because he really can't stop it and has no strength to battle tackles.  He also has no change of direction speed to handle coverage responsibilities.

I know the Jets community is getting excited about Maybin but, for your own sanity, temper those expectations.  The Bills (with an even worst pass rush than the Jets) gave up on him for a reason...

I know I'm "Debbie Downer" here but I'd love to hear what Jets nation has seen from Maybin.  Do you think he can fill the pass rush need that your team craves?  What have you heard from practice, coaches & teammates about him?  I'm very interested to see how Maybin develops under the defensive mind of Rex.

Training Camp has started and our eyes are focused on a few players.  Here's my top 5 list of players I'd like to hear more about for both sides of the ball.  Let me know who your focus is on...

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I know people are saying this... at this point but reviewing the Bills 2011 schedule at this point is a little premature but I can't hide my excitement looking forward.  Free agency isn't here yet and right now there is still no 2011 schedule but it can't stop us from looking forward.

Week 1 (Sept 11th):  At Chiefs

Projection:  Win.  Chan is going to be prepping ALL off season to stop these Clowns...I mean Chiefs.  The Chiefs are a run-first offense and will be a benchmark game to see where our run-stuffing is now.  My projection is we'll win the battle at the LOS and Merriman will be able to hit the outside with a good pass rush.  Cassell hasn't shown competence to be able to carry a team to victory.

On an other note, the NFL REALLY botched the schedules this year.  Sept 11th with AFC East playing the NFC East.  What a great way to open the season by having NY Jets vs. NY Giants on Sept 11th on the 10 year anniversary.  It would have been an emotional moment and really a great way to start the 2011 season with all the labor issues we've been having.

Record:  1-0

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I believe that we had a very successful draft in restocking and retooling our defense for the 3-4 and hybrid 4-3 looks.

There are still gaps to be had on the offensive side of the ball.  Please let me know if any of these players were resigned before the lockout but below are my top 3 positions and who I think are viable candidates.

QB - lack of depth behind Fitz

TE - lack of depth

OT - lack of depth

After the jump I will show potential FA pickups.

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I've been browsing the ESPN website for Kiper's breakdowns from prior years.  It's great to read the expectations of the analysts to see how they actually performed.  Was Kiper wrong in his analysis?  I don't think so.  But read and enjoy...

Source:  http://espn.go.com/melkiper/s/2002/0420/1371357.html

1. Houston -- David Carr, QB, Fresno State
Carr now becomes the cornerstone of the Texans' franchise. He is a franchise-caliber quarterback with accuracy and velocity reminiscent of another No. 1 overall pick, Troy Aikman. Look what Aikman meant to Dallas. Carr is a major building block; with the right supporting cast, the rest could be history. His sidearm delivery is a concern because there is a possibility for his passes being batted down. Plus, he won't scramble around and make things happen with his legs. But Carr has the physical ability. He was brought along slowly at Fresno State in order to grasp Pat Hill's sophisticated offense. Last season he was the most consistent performer at the college level, and he beat three top-level opponents at the start of the season. He lit it up at the Senior Bowl and seized control of the top spot at that time. The Texans had to pick him. His maturity and leadership are critical aspects of his makeup.

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We've been hearing that CJ Spiller may be a BUST despite his rookie season being behind two veterans (Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson) as well as having injury issues during the season.  There has been much discussion regarding CJ's lack of offensive touches as well and his primary usage was special teams returning punts and kicks.  Through research, what we see is that CJ Spiller's rookie season aligns pretty closely with Jamaal Charles from the Kansas City Chiefs.  Jamaal Charles was drafted in the third round with Gailey as the Offensive Coordinator.  He's 5'11" and 200 lbs.

Here are his career stats.  As we can see, Jamal Charles received only 67 rushing attempts and he was listed as the # 3 RB behind Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith.

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Did anyone get a chance to watch Trent play for the Jags?  Here is his stat line:

12 / 25 for 140 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT

There aren't many discussions regarding the play of Trent Edwards but I was able to watch a few minutes of the game.  He looked tentative and non-aggressive in his throws.  The Jags clearly supported running the ball against a VERY weak Texans pass defense as Jennings rushed for over 100 yards for almost 5 yards a carry.  One would think such a strong rushing game would open up the deep passes.  Did Trent throw it deep much?  I think us Buffalo fans know that answer...

I'm disappointed he didn't succeed in his shot but it was all too familiar watching Trent play.  He did have some great velocity and his accuracy was decent as well but his reaction to the defense, non-aggressive play style and instincts just kill any natural talent he has.  We in Buffalo have seen this far too often and makes the move that Chan did after week 2 all the more impressive.

We're sorry you didn't succeed Trent but you can't say you didn't have the opportunities.

Offense:  Nelson continues to amaze me.  Undrafted Free Agent and he looks like he belongs as one of the top 4 WR's on this team.  He's a GREAT possession WR and I'd love to see him bulk up over the next few years and become a goal line jump ball threat.  I'm very excited about him.  If he pans out - where does Easley belong on this team?  Being from CT, I love UCONN players and he was very exciting in college.

Defense: Carrington got his first few reps in a couple of games and he appeared to pressure the QB a few times and I believe he even registered a sack!!.  I know the attention that Kyle Williams was getting was a HUGE reason that our defense was able to get that much pressure but I was very impressed with Carrington's play yesterday.  I didn't see if he was out of position much but he was around the QB often.

Maybin played as well (although he didn't play well) and it appeared he was going to get his first NFL sack but was held by the LT.  Other than that play I didn't see him except for the play that Big Ben scrambled and all I saw was Maybin being sat on by their tackle.  Anyone else notice (or not notice) him on the field?

I was not impressed by either Moats or Coleman defensively either.  I didn't see but how did Troup look?

Overall, this rookie class (drafted and undrafted alike) look pretty good.

Our OLB position is clearly an area of need on this team.  Aaron Schobel decided not to report to camp this year.  I was thinking today...what if he did report to camp?  Who would he have replaced in our lineup?  How much different would our team be today in regards to our defense?  How would he have transitioned to the 3-4?  If he replaced Kelsey - would Kelsey have gotten his contract extension?

It's a slow Tuesday for me - What do you think would be different if Schobel reported to camp? 

Any decent free agent OLB out there?  What about Adelius Thomas?  I would think he would be an upgrade in the OLB to what we currently have.

It appears that one of our biggest weaknesses is covering TE's and getting pressure on the QB.  A good OLB should help in that situation greatly in a 3-4.

Have we gotten a chance to see Maybin in coverage yet?  I haven't seen much of Maybin this year but with his speed I would think he'd be a very good coverage LB as well.

Okay so I took the 6+ hour drive on opening day to see the Bills play Miami.  I traveled with 6 (yes, SIX) Dolphin fans.  We arrived in Buffalo around 2PM on Saturday afternoon. 

We checked into the Holiday Inn Express and proceeded to head to the Anchor Bar.  To my surprise, the place was LOADED with 20+ Miami fans who were all cheering for the Miami Hurricanes.  The wings were very crunchy and good.  Not soggy at all.  Overall a very nice experience.

We asked the waitress where the hot spot was and she told us to go to Mulligans on Allen Street.  The bar was quite big with a pool table and lots of Bills signs around.  We got there around 8PM Saturday night and there were only about 6 people in the bar - SIX PEOPLE???  THE NIGHT BEFORE OPENING DAY????  WHERE WAS EVERYONE??  The bartender was very cool but we later found out that Mulligan's is supposed to be the coke bar of Buffalo - great choice Ms. Anchor Bar waitress.  The highlight of the night was standing on the front patio and watching people try to park.  One dude drove right in and slammed his tire into the curb - popping the tire.  He was so embarrassed he just drove around with his tire barely hanging onto his rim.  Another woman tried to parallel park - after about 3 tries I pulled out my camera and snapped a video.  Everyone was yelling "CUT IT - CUTIT!!!" then when she couldn't pull it off we'd all BOOOOOOOO. She finally got in after about 8 tries. Here's the link to the video:  Woman Parallel Parking

The bartender at Mulligan's said we needed to get to the stadium around 7:30 AM in order to get a good tailgating spot so we called it a night around midnight.  We departed the hotel at 6:30 and got to the stadium before 7 AM (I was a LITTLE excited if you could tell).  We stayed in line waiting for them to open the lots - the best part was everyone honking the horns at the teenagers working the entrance.  LET US IN - LET US IN - LET US IN!!!!  Finally an RV blew his horn and the teenagers opened the lot and let us in.  Which lot??  I dunno but we were between the RV's and the buses.  I think that it was Lot 2.  Opening Day in Lot 2

The tailgating was incredible.  People rented gas generators just to power up inflatable giant Bills figures.  It was very cool.  The Buffalo fans were also very nice to the Miami fans - which I didn't expect at all.  There was great excitement about WHAT MAY BE in 2010 for the Bills.  It was a new year and we were all anxious to get off to a good start.  There was a very good band that played for most of the day.  The lead singer had a lot of energy.  I can see why Buffalo is ranked #1 in tailgating.  I would come back any day just to tailgate here. Band in Buffalo

We got in the stadium around 12:30 and sat in the corner by the big screen.  It is too bad there isn't a big screen over by the Bank because I had to turn around to see the screen every time a replay occurred.  I hope Ralph Wilson spends some money to put a big screen in another part of the stadium.  All in all, it was great to be HOME.  Oh - and by that time...the Buffalo fans had turned on the heat on the Miami fans.  GO BILLS!!!  Watching Bills warmup

The game was less than stellar.  The offense was horrid and while the defense played well there were a few big plays the Dolphins just missed.  Watching Trent check down to Nelson on the last play of the game was just as horrible watching in person as it must have been on TV.

After the game we tailgated a little more - I couldn't believe the amount of TRASH after the game.  The parking lot looked like a landfill.  We threw all our garbage into a bag and left it there but I couldn't believe how many folks just threw their garbage right on the ground.  I felt bad for the folks who had to clean the lot.

We hung out until 5:30 then went to Duffs.  Troup was there with some friends and was eating something like 50 wings AND a philly cheesesteak.  He was a very nice guy and I couldn't believe how young he looked.  His shoulders are ENORMOUS though.  One of the Miami fans was a very big biker and Troup made him look like a pencil.   The wings at Duffs were very good.  The sauce was much better than Anchor Bar but I liked the crunch at the Anchor Bar.  If we took the actual wing from Anchor Bar and used the sauce from Duffs......it would be simply heaven.  The manager came over and asked me "Why are you with all these Miami fans??" - I said "I dunno they just followed me" and she gave me two free drinks and said "here - you'll need these".  Very nice place.

That night we went to the bar at the Holiday Inn - it was Karaoke night and everyone sang country songs....it was horrible but was nice to watch the Skins beat the Cowboys in a bar in Buffalo.

Overall, the atmosphere while tailgating and at the stadium was incredible.  Buffalo really didn't have much to offer in form of entertainment though.  Allen street was pretty quite compared to other cities I'd been at.  At the end of the day, would I do it again?  You betcha.

Okay folks, I've never been to an NFL game - I'm driving over 8 hours to come see them play on Sunday.  Any ideas for tailgating spots or things to check out at the stadium??  Any good restaurants in the area to check out after the game?  I've heard the Anchor Bar is a place to check out but what about other places?

FYI - I'm staying in a Holiday Inn Express not far from the stadium.

I read a lot about how people concern on how to get our players more involved.  What about a spread type offense similar to the offense the Saints utilize?  I've seen the Saints line up with 3 WR sets and motion Bush as a fourth WR.  Why couldn't we do the same with Hardy (or Easley or Johnson or ???), Evans, Parrish and Spiller?  Evans, Parrish and Spiller are all deep threats while Hardy could be used as a possession receiver.   We could utilize our TE as an additional blocker to buy Edwards more time.  The speed we can put on the field at the same time with Parrish, Evans and Spiller is very interesting to think about.

What are your ideas on how this offense may best be setup?