I am not much for reading the litany of mock drafts, especially those that come out 2-3 months ahead of time and well before the BIGGEST opportunity the Bills have to add immediate talent to the team. Sure "through the draft" is the way Nix wants to build our team for long-term success... so I get the excitement factor of April. I am focusing on March though and the words that Nix said when he said the Bills need "one of those WR's who are open when they are not open". Chris Brown emphased this in his Friday fan Q/A Blog on BB.com.

It is a nice year to have that "need" considering UFA allows for many of the biggest names in WR's "available" this year in Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, and Marques Colsten. These guys are all top WR#1 on their teams and will be "paid" to be #1 WR on a team too. Everyone is tying Vincent Jackson to Buffalo because of the Nix connections there... (personally I'd like to see Bowe because of the Gailey connections). However, I also know Nix does not like to make a splash in FA and has said they do not want to be the "front-runners" nor sign the top guy (unless they were our guy first). So this makes me wonder and want to hear from you on which "2nd Tier" WR's who are "open when they are not open" could be our starting WR next season on the outside...

Poll

Which "2nd-Tier" Free Agent WR would you like the Bills to sign who can be "open, when they are not open" and be opposite Stevie Johnson?

42%

Pierre Garcon

219 votes

5%

Braylon Edwards

29 votes

5%

Plaxico Burress

31 votes

3%

Early Doucet

20 votes

1%

Josh Morgan

9 votes

0%

Legedu Nanee

4 votes

2%

Terrell Owens

13 votes

7%

Chaz Schillens

41 votes

0%

Devin Aramashodo

0 votes

0%

Roy Williams

2 votes

0%

Bryant "Panda" Johnson

1 votes

14%

None of these scrubs

75 votes

14%

Robert Meachem

73 votes

517 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

So the players and coaches are looking at each other now and wondering where has all their swagger gone.  Once 5-2 and standing alone on top of the AFC East, the have been out played, out coached, and probably worse...  out physicalled in a "Man's Game".  Injuries have come and each of them are sitting back in their lockers with nothing to do but look in the mirror and question themselves... 

HOWEVER... this is a time like never before when we need a true LEADER in the lockerroom to standup and speak strongly and get these guys believing in themselves.  Whether it is Fitz, Kelsay, Wilson, Jackson, Johnson, Lindell, Moorman... whoever... We need a somebody to show a little emotion on this team and get their arses going.  Sure we need the Rookies and Younger players more than ever to step up and be the stars we hoped they'd be...  Carrington, Sheppard, Aaron Williams, Searcy, Spiller, Troupe, Dareus, Moats, Hairston...  two or three guys from this group have to be better than the guys that were in front of them.  They have every opportunity to be STARS this year and save this season.  Take the starting gig and don't even let the coaches think about putting the other players back in their starting positions. 

Considering we had such a long off-season from the end of the NFL Rookie draft to the point when players were able to finally practice or Free Agents were able to be signed, it was anyone's guess what was going to happen this year with our team and the players in certain positions.  However, I think we all had a pretty good idea at the start of training camp who was going to be playing what position and how rookies would be sprinkled into the mix.  There were a lot of questions about depth at many positions and some good training camp battles there..   What we have recently witnessed and come to expect almost weekly is some surprise move by the coaching staff with shifting players (i.e. OL moves) or the FO is doing (cutting Maybin, trading Evans, signing Morrison/Martin, or not signing Stinchcomb, McKinnie, or some other possible veteran upgrade to an area claimed by both coaches and FO that we lack in depth).  So my question becomes, especially to the real close followers of the Bills and fellow Rumblers and their acclaimed writers... are these moves or lack of moves expected or predictable?  Or are we as fans just so much in the dark on which way this team is going that we should just sit back and accept it all and see how it works out?  I know Nix's philosophy (or Polianates as a DeJeager pointed out) is to build through the draft... but not all draft picks work out...  when are we going to move past Ed Wang like we did with Maybin?  Galliford mentioned Wang was a terrible draft pick, so why don't the Bills make a move sooner than later?  McKelvin might be the worst zone coverage DB in the NFL...  He is the epitomy of softness in the terminology "cushion".  Either step up or step out!  I could go on and on...  It just seems the things that make sense don't happen with the coaching or management of this team, and the things that we don't expect or moves that are not apparent suddenly are made.  I am befuddled as a fan.  How about you?

So Bob Sanders visit with the Bills last week gave some good blog conversations on where is a good fit for him.  March 3rd is the deadline for the CBA and players need to sign before that time if they are going to be hired by a team and quote "under contract" before a lockout occurs.  Where will he go?

Buffalo, Jacksonville, Indy?

Article on his last visit:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Bob-Sanders-next-stop-Buffalo.html

How many times will be all debate the end of this statement for the next 4 months?  So many mock drafts, so many supposed draft "experts", so many things that could occur between now and then that may affect that decision like RFAs, UFAs, Which Jr's or "red-shirt sophomores" declare for the draft, the Sr. Bowl and Combine workouts, Who the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncoes select in front of the Bills at 1 and 2, will the Bills even pick at #3 or trade out (up or down?), etc.  We haven't had a draft pick this high since #1 overall in 1985 when we selected Bruce Smith (I am pretty sure that pick worked out for us...), however we also had a major bust with #4 overall in 2002 with Mike Williams.  

Best player available?  Franchise QB?  Top Defensive Player to help a team that has so many holes in it? 

I've heard Ralph mention a few times in interviews this past year how much our team needs a franchise QB to compete.  One of the more controversial players with a ton of upside to him to potentially be there for them will most likely be Cam Newton.  Last year, Nix went with the Best Player Available approach and surprised everyone with submitting Spiller's name only about 30 seconds after they went on the clock. 

Buffalo Rumblings had a pretty good post about their first mock and the Bills selecting AJ Green (who many believe is the #1 person in the entire draft or as safe a pick as one could make in the first round) with good reasoning about him over other potentials like Bowers and Fairley who are more 4-3 type of DT's.  

While I realize there will be no "answers" for any of us on January 6th...  what I do realize though is that there will be a whole lot of fans like you and me watching the offseason more closely this year and certainly have our own opinions on who they select or what happens between now and the actually draft in April.  


Also, and probably more importantly, it is not who they only select at #3, but what they do at #4 in the 2nd round, #2 in the 3rd round, two picks in the 4th round, etc. that will make the difference in their next few years of being competitive.

One thing is for certain, I am sick of top 20 picks and hope that one day we aren't talking about our draft order the first week of January, rather we are talking about our playoff opponent!  
 

Watching the Sugar bowl right now and really taking notice of Mallet in this game...  (as I am sure a lot of NFL scouts are too)  He is a big qb that can really throw it all over the field.  He doesn't have much mobility and is having a hard time avoiding a lot of the rush in his face.  I really like his back shoulder throws and his receivers are dropping passes that he is just laying it in to them.  AR defense can't tackle or cover the TE at all.  Pryor looks a lot better than he really is..

Anyone interested in Mallet or have other thoughts on him as a QB prospect over Newton, Locker, Ponder, etc. 

Below is a chart that shows the positions of the NFL draft top three picks since 1998.  There are a few interesting trends to note:

1) All QB's taken #1 except for a few DE's and an OT (Doesn't bode well for us getting Luck if he comes out to last to #3)

2) Only one LB and no CB's or Safeties taken (We at least can feel good that the value of taken one of these players/positions is not in the top 3 picks)

3) WR's were the next most drafted position with the 3rd pick after QB (something tells me the opportunity to draft AJ Green will be very promising if Farley or Bowers doesn't fit into their 3-4 type of NT or DE.  I think Farley is a special type of DT that could be too good to pass up, however AJ Green is getting comparisons to Calvin Johnson (who by the way Chan Gailey coached at Georgia Tech) similar to the CJ Spiller pick. 

 

NFL Draft Year 2010	No. 1 QB	No. 2 DT	No. 3 DT
2009	QB	OT	DE
2008	OT	DE	QB
2007	QB	WR	OT
2006	DE	RB	QB
2005	QB	RB	WR
2004	QB	OT	WR
2003	QB	WR	WR
2002	QB	DE	QB
2001	QB	OT	DT
2000	DE	OLB	OT
1999	QB	QB	QB
1998	QB	QB	DE

Players taken with the third pick:

2010: Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers defensive tackle

2009: Tyson Jackson, Chiefs defensive end

2008: Matt Ryan, Falcons quarterback

2007: Joe Thomas, Browns tackle

2006: Vince Young, Texans quarterback

2005: Braylon Edwards, Browns receiver

2004: Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals receiver

2003: Andre Johnson, Texans receiver

2002: Joey Harrington, Lions quarterback

2001: Gerard Warren, Browns defensive lineman

2000: Chris Samuels, Redskins tackle

It will be fun to speculate what the Bills will do between now and the draft in April...  It was a bad season.  I am already to say let's move on to 2011.  (Keep lifting and eating Aaron Maybin!)  Go Bills!

Stevie Johnson's second touch down of the Bengals game was a great throw and catch play, but also one that most teams do not run or attempt down in the red zone.   I have now seen this pass thrown perfectly by Fitzpatrick twice this season that I can remember where he put it into small windows of space between defenders and right into the hands of his receiver.  The pass route is a back corner flag route where the WR releases straight off the line and cuts toward the back corner of the end zone.  What is unique about the route is that Fitzy throws it to the inside of the WR instead of the outside.  Typically flag routes passes are thrown to the outer shoulder to get the ball up and over the defenders reach.  What is great about this route (and very risky) is that Fitzy will just gun the ball to the spot and let the WR make a play regardless of the defender.  It catches the defender off guard b/c they initially are looking inside for the post route or slant route and when the WR angles the other way, the defender is either slow to adjust or off balance from the move the WR puts on him, then the ball is right there on the WR.  In the play to Johnson, Leon Hall does not get burned too much one-on-one...  he was smoked on this play:

http://www.buffalobills.com/media-center/videos/Johnson-scores-2nd-TD/4574622d-90d5-4bb3-96ea-2da41e802e78

 

The other play that I have seen was one to Roscoe Parrish in the Bears game.  This time it was against zone coverage.  The highlights show how Fitzy just fires it before Parrish is even looking. 

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81beb18f/Parrish-14-yard-TD

 

It is a great great pattern and throw both for TD's in the red zone that I hope to see more of in the future!

I am not sure how many people were able to catch the telecast of the game today or got to see what seemed like strategic moves by the coaches to get Codero Howard in at LT and RT during periods of the game.  Also Craig Urbik was also in the game a full series in the first quarter at RG.  While it has been said in the past that D. Bell needs to be subbed for from time to time, and it looks like Howard is our new Swing Tackle, I did find it interesting to see him in the game for Cornell Green in the 2nd half.  I didn't notice if Urbik was in the game anymore for Wood after that one series.  BTW. Howard wasn't very good when he did play, so I am not sure if that gives fans much hope for our future anyway?

We all know that our OL isn't playing well at all, somehow they seemed to have a little more rythmn in their blocks and turning guys in the first half.  It is very apparent that they get overwhelmed when the other team basically knows when it is a run or pass.  Hence, first down yardage is huge and staying out of penalties that cause us longer yardage situations. 

It will be interesting to see if we see more Howard or Urbik in the future?  I have no idea about this Wrotto guy either.  Our OL needs to somehow turn the corner and play a full 60 minutes if we are every going to win a game this year.   RT was such a bad position for us last year after the injuries.  It will be interesting to see what will happen in the coming weeks. 

This whole season for the Bills is like a year-long preseason in anticipation for next year (or the year after if there is a lockout).  The many moves that the Bills did and didn't make this off-season and continue to make at the start of this season is really a strong indication of the fact that they are really preparing themselves for future seasons and battles. 

Going to the playoffs this season and being competitive now left us when we couldn't land McNabb during the off-season.  Rumor has it we offered more than what he took to go to the Skins.  That was a real blow to this organization because we probably had a shot at possibly putting together some other acquisitions that would have helped sooner rather than later. 

Other moves, like signing Cornell Green, shows that the Bills needed something at the position they could put in as a starter and hope that Meridith and Wang could develop into the future.  Let's hope either of these guys and supplant Green soon! 

We need all the LB help that we can get with going to new scheme, so Torber, Davis, Adolole, all make sense.  Even signing Kelsay to an extention, shows to the other players that the team will reward those who work hard, are a leader and show loyalty to the franchise.  I think extending Kelsay was a real statement made to the locker room and team more than anything else.

Now we benched/Cut Trent at QB, they are on to option #2 with Fitz hoping to eck out a win or two in the next 1/4 of the season.  Hopefully with playing some teams more on our talent level, we can find some rythem and catch a break or two for a win to instill some good spirit and confidence in our team.  Option #3 at QB with Brohm is coming unless he totally is horrible in practices and preparation or Fitz goes on such a winning streak it will be impossible to bench him for Brohm.  Levi is not an option this year unless injuries really hurt us at the position.  Fortunately there are QB's in this league... we just haven't seen them in a Buffalo uniform for a while.  We will draft one of the studs coming out of college next year and let him develop (hopefully sooner than later). 

As far as the rest of the "preseason" goes, my guess is that they will continue to work on developing some younger guys like Bell, Maybin, Nelson, Nelson, Johnson, Ellis, Carrington, Troupe, Moats, etc.  These guys need to "get it" at some point so they can be our "stars"

I am hopeful our FO is working on bringing in other talent or potentials at LB and TE.  We have a long way to go and its been a long long time since we were anything to anyone.  Let's just band together as fans and know that better times are coming when the Bills will finally be ready for the "Regular Season" and then we can talk Playoffs Baby!

We all know the fact that Trent Edwards is failing miserably to start this season and is in a lot of danger of getting knocked out of the game or pulled for lack of performance (the same merry-go-round we went through last season).  However, as bad as TE has been, how come we can't improve any on the OL??? 

If Levitrie, Bell, and Wood are our future on the OL, does all the blame fall on Green and Hangartner?  IMO, Green might have been one of the worst off-season FA signings we've had to date.  Couldn't Nix/Whaley have known ahead of time that this was going to be such a bad signing? 

Granted OT's aren't there just to pick up on the open market like fruit on trees.  You go in one of a few directions.  Develop the talent you draft (which the Bills are obviously trying to do) or sign some free agents and/or make trades for them to to play for you (as we've seen fail miserably in the recent past for Buffalo).  

So going forward... my question becomes if Wood, Bell, Levitre and possibly Hangartner (jury is out whether or not he is around in another year or two or is replaced) is our future, will they ever "Turn the corner" and look like a professional OL or continue to have their arses handed to them week to week?

Joe Vitt has ties to KC where he coached in 2000 - 2003 and is a native of Syracuse, NY. hmmmmm

He was a real stand-up guy in St. Louis where he was the Interim HC back in 2005.  A lot of the media types wanted him to be retained because he was so charismatic with the players, fans and media. 

Could he be coming to Buffalo soon?

Link to Joe Vitt's NO Saints Coaching Bio

Joe Vitt

Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers

Tutoring a unit that since 2006 has annually ranked among the Saints’ most productive position groups, assistant head coach/linebackers Joe Vitt enters his fourth season in New Orleans.

In 2008, three of the club’s top four tacklers on defense came from the linebacker corps, including newcomer Jonathan Vilma, who had a club-high 151 stops. Vilma and fellow starters Scott Shanle and Scott Fujita combined for 400 tackles, four forced fumbles, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Under Vitt’s tutelage, Vilma made a seamless transition in his first season in New Orleans and immediately became an impact player at middle linebacker.

Vitt came to the Saints after serving as interim head coach for the final 11 games in St. Louis in 2005. He held the Rams together during a difficult period after previously holding the title of assistant head coach/linebackers. It was part of a two-year stint with the Rams where he also turned a handful of young defenders into a unit that paced the team in tackles each season.

He joined St. Louis after working as linebackers coach in Kansas City from 2000-03. It was with the Chiefs where he first worked with Fujita, a fifth-round pick who developed into one of Kansas City’s top defenders and led the club in tackles for two seasons.

Vitt took over the linebacker corps in Kansas City after tutoring the defensive backs for Green Bay in 1999, molding a legion of rookies and young players into a formidable unit that doubled the Packers’ previous-year total by picking off 26 passes.

From 1995-98, Vitt was linebackers coach for Philadelphia. In 1998, his group helped the Eagles lead the NFL in pass defense, allowing 170 yards per game. Vitt was assistant head coach and defensive backs coach with the Rams under Chuck Knox from 1992-94 for the franchise’s final three seasons in Los Angeles.

Vitt spent 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (1982-91), holding several titles during that stretch. In 1982 he was defensive quality control coach/assistant strength & conditioning coach. From 1983-87 Vitt was quality control/assistant linebackers coach, and from 1988-91 he tutored the safeties.

Born in Syracuse, N.Y., Vitt grew up in Blackwood, N.J., and played four years at linebacker for Towson State, where he was part of a squad that went undefeated in 1974. Vitt was later inducted into the Towson State Hall of Fame. He entered the NFL coaching ranks with the Baltimore Colts as assistant strength/quality control coach from 1979-81.

Vitt is married to Linda, with two children: Joe, Jr. and daughter, Jennifer.

I have a hard time remembering a time period that the Bills were not secretive and not open to fans or media about their business than I have seen in the last 14 months. 

 

This all started with them failing to announce the DJ extension during the '08 season.  It was the worst kept secret in the NFL, but they kept dodging the announcement.  Here are a few more examples:

 

- OC and OL issues prior to the start of the season. 

 

- Not firing DJ during the bye week, then doing it a week later.

 

- No formal press conference after the DJ firing. 

 

- Hiring or the recruiting of Buddy Nix.

 

- Letting the rest of the coaching staff out of their contracts (essentially firing them).

 

- Constant rumors flying around going un-addressed (i.e. Shanahan interview, Gruden and Cowher contact, Frazier "leader in the clubhouse". 

 

Even their inside "paid" reporter Chris Brown is about as uninformed as we are as fans and his reporting has very limited at best.

 

For a fan base that have endured painful years of rooting for this team and one that continues to support this team through it all, even after all the bad decisions they have made, one would think with a new GM and chance to turn severe fan pessimism into some sort of hope and optimism, they would help by keeping fans a little better informed throughout this process.  I would gather than Brandon and Berchold have their reasons, but it is really a huge turn-off to make any fan believe they are going about the process the "right-way" or know what they are doing through all of this. 

 

Then the "tidbits" you do hear from Ralph from time-to-time...  "We didn't know any of the names on the list", "We don't want to hire just a name", etc.  Makes fans even more uncomfortable with what is happening.  I realize it is hard to control what is coming out of the mouth of a 91 year old...  The brain isn't always as sharp as it should be when on the spot, but I though Brandon was a lot smarter than what his is showing throughout this whole process, and I for one fan am very disappointed in their communication efforts in the last 14 months.

 

I would offer that if they had a weekly presser with media or had Chris Brown offering more information about their actions or strategy moving forward it would be a significant start.  Maybe Brandon himself as CEO could get in front of the camera.  Nix seems like a big personality type and could even do it.  Who knows?  Something more than they are offering would a lot better than the 10,000 rumors we are subject too, or the decisions that are made that leave fans scratching their heads and wondering…  Haven’t we learned something by now?

 

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