SBNation.com User Blog: JakeSz44

Post Combine Mock W/Trade

JakeSz44 — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:50:37 -0000

Now that the combine is over we are starting to get a better sense of where players will end up so I think it's time for another mock. In this mock the Bills trade picks 8 and 136(rd5) to San Fran for picks 31(rd1), 34(rd2), 61(rd2). This would give the Bills pick 31, 34, 41, 61, 71, 102, 167. This allows us to address a number of positions,

Rd1 Pick 31- Arthur Brown OLB KSU. I view Brown as a very athletic, versatile linebacker which makes him a perfect fit for a versatile defensive scheme. He was great player for the Wildcats, making many plays all over the field. He looks NFL ready and should be a starter from day one.

Rd 2 Pick 34- Tyler Brey QB Tenn. With this pick at the top of the second round acquired from SF the Bills address the QB situation. To be honest I don't know if Brey will be the pick but a QB will be the pick be it Brey, Nassib, Glennon, etc. I chose Brey here for a few reasons, the first being that he fits the description of what the Bills said they are looking for in a QB. He is tall and had a rocket arm. While he was inconsistent in college I think his mistakes can be corrected and with just a little coaching he could be a productive NFL starter.

Rd2 Pick 41 DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson We need WRs. Hopkins was a quietly productive player at Clemson, amassing some solid numbers this season. I was able to watch a good amount Clemson this year and he caught my eye on several occasions. He will be able to stretch defenses out vertically.

Rd 2 PIck 61 Justin Pugh OT/OG SU Pugh maned the left tackle spot exceedingly well this year. Being from the CNY area I watched a lot of SU and can tell you that Pugh has NFL talent. He might not be the greatest lineman but he could be an above average starter in the league. Here I would be drafting him as a guard so we could let Levitre walk.

Rd 3 Pick 71 Jon Bostic ILB UF Bostic is a talented ILB who showed his athleticism at the combine. He started for the Gators this year and showed improvement this year over last. I think that he will be considered a steal at 71 in a few fears. I found out that he was one of the most sought after high school recruits his senior year of high school but did not impress right away. This year he was much improved and with his strong combine performance I believe he finally get his act together and figured "it" out.

Rd 4 Pick 102 Shamarko Thomas S SU Hard hitting safety. Those are the first three words that come to mind when describing Thomas after watching him play. Thomas always seemed to be making a big hit for the Cuse. His combine performance was spectacular, especially when you factor in the faceplant. He will need to develop his coverage skills but in a short time the combination of him and Byrd will be among the best in the NFL.

Rd 6 Pick 162 Alec Lemon WR SU Sure handed WR who will be a high quality depth WR. At 6'1 202 with a 4.59 40 and solid hands Lemon should become a common name around if drafted.

UFA Rex Burkhead RB Nebraska. Insert any name you like here. Just need a little depth at rb.

WIth the Bills drafting Pugh I believe that this will allow the Bills to let Levitre walk away. Its tough to let a player like Levitre go but Pugh can become just as good of a player. With the money not spent on Levitre I think the Bills will go after a CB in FA. I prefer Cary Williams from Baltimore. He played well for the Raven this year and at 6'1 190 he has the size Nix prefers at CB. We will have to pay some good money but it will be worth it for a quality starter on a SB winning team. Also If we have money left over after signing a CB signing a WR would be ideal.

Rd 6 Pick 162 Alec Lemon WR SU Sure handed WR who will be a high quality depth WR. At 6'1 202 with a 4.59 40 and solid hands Lemon should become a common name around if drafted.

UFA Rex Burkhead RB Nebraska. Insert any name you like here. Just need a little depth at rb.

Offseason Thoughts

JakeSz44 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:49:18 -0000

These are my thoughts about the offseason including a mock draft. It is quite lengthy but there is a lot of good input in there so bear with me.

Mock Draft

This is my first mock I have ever posted on Rumblings so I hope you enjoy.

Rd1. Ezekiel Ansah DE BYU. This guy is a physical freak who is often compared to JPP. I think the comparisons to JPP are well warranted. Being an ex-track runner he can fly for a guy who is 6'5 270. He also will fit well with Pettine hyrbid attacking style of defense.

R2. DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson. I saw Clemson on tv a few times this year and every time I watched them this guy stood out to me. He made a lot of tremendously skilled catches while gaining great separation from defensive backs. While he may not be the giant WR Nix has stated he wants to get, Hopkins is too talented to pass up here. Hopkins excellent speed and catching ability make him the guy that will stretch out defenses.

Rd3. Khaseem Greene OLB Rutgers. The ex-safety played very well this year for the Scarlet Knights. He was all over the field making plays. Due to his experience at safety his coverage skills are above average for an LB which is a valuable asset in today's pass happy league. With Nick Barnett gone OLB is a position that needs to be addressed in the offseason, and getting Greene in the 3rd would fill that position.

Rd4. Jon Bostic ILB Florida. While I haven't completely given up on Shep I do realize that so far his play has been mediocre and could be upgraded. I think Bostic still needs some time to develop and tap his full potential but if he does develop as expected he could turn into a player. His style of play is very aggressive and he made many plays for a stout UF defense.

Rd5. Matt Scott QB Arizona. Scott took over for Foles this year and played well, putting up some good numbers. His arm strength is great and he passes with accuracy. He is also a dual threat QB that can run well. The big knocks against Scott are his consistency. He will make a spectacular throw just to follow it up with a dud to the dirt. He is also only 6'1 so that will hurt his stock letting him drop all the way too the 5th. He is project but with his skill set I believe he will be well worth a pick.

Rd6. Shamarko Thomas S SU. Being an SU fan I watched a lot of Cuse this year and can tell you that Thomas has the skills to be a starter in the NFL. He plays agressive and makes big hits. He plays the run very well, often being the guy who sticks the rb. He does lack coverage skills which is why he will be around in round 6. I think a year on the bench behind Searcy or whoever is the other safety next to byrd will do him well, and in the future he could start or at a minimum add depth to the secondary.

Rd7. Alec Lemon. Another SU player who impressed me over the year. He isn't the biggest or most athletic WR but he is absolutely sure handed, catching everything. His physical limitations maybe keep him from ever becoming a #1 or #2 WR but he could be a great depth player who makes plays when given the opportunity.

Re-signings

Byrd, Levitre, Nelson, McKelvin, Moore, Merriman.

You need to keep talent when you have it, as long as you do not over pay. Byrd and Levitre both will get big contracts but not unwarrantedly large. McKelvin will think he can get money somewhere else but then find out he is not as coveted as thought prior and will sign for a reasonable price. Merriman and Moore both are signed at bargain prices warranting their retention.

Cuts

Brad Smith, Chris Kelsay

Brad Smith does very little and gets payed way too much, he gets cut saving money and roster space. WIth Ansah on the roster Kelsay is of little value.

Free Agency

Since Byrd and Levitre both got paid there isn't as much money to use in free agency so I do not see any big signings happening. I will say though that if it is possible I would like to see the Bills pursue Dwayne Bowe. I know that signing Bowe is unlikely if Byrd and Levitre both get paid but if there is a way to sign him could you imagine how dangerous the Bills' offensive could be, even with Fitz at QB. If Bowe was signed and you combine him with the players I mocked our skills position players would consist of Lee Smith, Scott Chandler, David Nelson, TJ Graham, Alec Lemon, DeAndre Hopkins, Stevie Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Fred Jackson, and CJ Spiller. I would say that, that group of players isn't too shabby.

This should be the year that the Bills take a QB in the 1st but the lack of talent has changed that. I believe that only Geno Smith is worth a top ten pick, and I would rather take a few other payers at 8 instead of Smith even if he was there. This means Fitz will be the starter which I do not want at all but there are few options this offseason to address the QB problem. Scott is a project player who I believe can be the QB of the future for the Bills. While I believe he will be a quality QB Scott still is a development project and developmental QBs often don't pan out, so if he does not show that he will be the guy after the season I will be the first person to say that we need to trade whatever it takes to get the QB we want in 2014.

These are my thoughts about the offseason including a mock draft. It is quite lengthy but there is a lot of good input in there so bear with me.

Mock Draft

This is my first mock I have ever posted on Rumblings so I hope you enjoy.

Re-signings

Byrd, Levitre, Nelson, McKelvin, Moore, Merriman.

Cuts

Brad Smith, Chris Kelsay

Brad Smith does very little and gets payed way too much, he gets cut saving money and roster space. WIth Ansah on the roster Kelsay is of little value.

Free Agency

Thoughts after Texans game

JakeSz44 — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 21:25:07 -0000

Hi fello Rumblers,

This is my first fanpost on Rumblings after about a year of mostly just reading so i would like to say hello. I have quite alot to say so bare with me.

The Bad

After this loss to the Texans I have quite a few negative things to say. First off I would like to say that I am on board the wagon to overhaul the coaching staff. I will say that I do think overall Chan has turned the offense into a relatively competent offense that, besides today, can usually put up points. After that I have little positive to say. His play calls are questionable to say the least. You have CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson on your roster and you constantly want to throw the ball with an OK QB who occasionally has a hot streak, come on. Chan is clearly a horrible motivator and leader. The team constantly looks like they are not giving it 100% and that is on the HC. Also consistently playing poor second half football is due to lack of coaching on his part. Wanny has been aweful as a defensive coordinator, period

I specifically think that coaching is the reason our defense has played so lousy. I truly believe we have capable talent on defense this year to be a defense that could be ranked between about 8-15. The problem with this D comes alot through coaching. Wanny is doing a terrible job as a DC and Chan couldnt motivate a golden retriever to fetch a tennis ball. While most of the D is talented, some player are not and are playing more than they should, which also comes down to coaching. Aaron William who I was high on after last year has played the worst football I have ever seen a CB play, even worse than McKelvin a few years ago. Wanny or Chan should realized this a while ago and benched him. Unfortunately he was forced out due to injury, which I wish to no player no matter how bad they play. I know there is limited personel behind him but the coaching staff should have pulled him a while ago and help coach him into a good player which he could could potentially be from talent that was shown last year and occasionally this year.

Fitz had a good game today until that fumble at the end, but for the greater part of the season he has played bad, for a lack of better words. He does not have the arm to even make 2/3s of the throws the typical NFL QB can make and it severely limits the offense. His lack of arm-strength allows defenses to bring everyone up a few yards, hurting Fred and CJ. Fitz is clearly not a franchise QB and should have either been benched by now or have had an heir in the works.

The Good

I try very hard to be optimistic about this team as hard as that may be, and i do see some positives after today. The first being Cj. The man can run, give him the ball more Chan. The players on D especially the line are the second positive. Minus about 3 or 4 runs by Foster I thought the D line played well against the run. They stuffed a lot of holes today. I would like to see more pressure but they dont do too bad considering most of the time its 6 on 4 due to no bltizing on the bills part and other teams usually keeping the rb in to block. Also Gilmore played relatively well today. He let Johnson get a few cathces but nothing that really hurt us. He is coming along quite well for a rookie in my opinion. I also think Bradham has been playing well for a rookie. He blew it on Owen Daniels TD but rookies take lumps like that and he will learn from that. Kyle Moore also added some pressure today against a very good player in Duane Brown.

The O Line didnt look great today but didnt look bad against a great Texans D. When fully healthy they have been very strong this year. Cordy Glenn looks awesome for a rookie LT.

Going Forward

I think the Bills have pieces in place to to be competitive for the rest of the year if they can turn things around. That being said I do not believe with this coaching staff they will be able to turn it around. In the coming years though, they do have talent in place to become a playoff contender. They need two things to "turn it around". First being competent coaching staff. The second piece after a competent coaching staff that is needed to make the playoffs is an above average to great QB. The NFL has turned into a QB oriented/dominated league and all good teams have an above average to great QB. Having a great QB can turn a talented but under-performing team like ours into a playoff competitive team.

Hi fello Rumblers,

This is my first fanpost on Rumblings after about a year of mostly just reading so i would like to say hello. I have quite alot to say so bare with me.

The Bad

The Good

The O Line didnt look great today but didnt look bad against a great Texans D. When fully healthy they have been very strong this year. Cordy Glenn looks awesome for a rookie LT.

Going Forward