dzil
Mar 05, 2009 Nov 22, 2011 10 3138
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Defensive Player of the Year: Send us the Bill
Highly respected NFL analysis site Pro Football Focus makes their case for our own Kyle Williams as Defensive Player of the Year.
Nix explains QB approach
now we can have round 2 about the lack of drafting a low round QB
Dzil Mock v2.0
by dzil on Apr 22, 2010 10:18 AM EDT
on Buffalo Rumblings
D-day is upon us and if you're a Bills fan you're likely holding your breath for the next couple days, waiting to see what the new face of our team ends up being.
As much as I wanted to stand on my Mock v1.0 from Feb 2, developments and acquisitions since then make it impossible. My basic draft principles remain the same and the necessary adjustments have been kept to a minimum. I actually spent a considerable amount of time and research assembling v1.0 and I'm not willing to abandon my conclusions from that.
I feel at least partially vindicated for my prior prediction of a draft day trade for Byron Leftwich. Rather than being unavailable, as was suggested by others, he has since been scooped up by the Steelers for a measly 7th round pick. He would have made a great transitional leader, while a young franchise QB was developing. Oh well.
I do expect Buddy to do some horse trading in the first 2 rounds, possibly pick swaps or trades involving Schobel, Lynch or Edwards, but it's impossible to reasonably predict so I'll just stick with the picks we now have.
So, here we go.
Round 1 (9) - LT Anthony Davis, Rutgers, 6'6 325. Nothing's changed here, Davis remains the best option at this point to fill a dire need. He is clearly more athletic and possesses more upside than the other possible option, Bulaga. However, if the Bills indeed are going after lefty Tebow, then Bulaga's natural fit at RT makes him the choice here.
Round 2 (41) - NT Cam Thomas, North Carolina, 6'4 331. Same as v1.0. I'm assuming Terrence Cody is off the board, if not then he will be the pick here. Torrell Troup is also a possibility here.
Round 3 (72) - OLB Eric Norwood, South Georgia, 6'1 246. Same as v1.0. Daniel Te'o Nesheim would be the alternative.
Round 4 (104) - WR Jacoby Ford, Clemson, 5'9 181. He was under the radar back in February, probably long gone by round 4 now. If so, then Emmanuel Sanders would be the pick here.
Round 5 (136) - OG Marshall Newhouse, TCU, 6'3 326. I had Jared Veldheer in this spot in v1.0, but obviously the cats out of the bag on his potential, so I've moved Newhouse up from his 166 spot in v1.0. Alternative here would be Shawn Lauvao.
Round 6 (166) - RB Deji Karim, Southern Illinois, 5'9 210. Another pick from v1.0 that I've had to move up due to subsequent exposure to the masses. Alternative would be Alfonso Smith from Kentucky.
Round 6 (184) - QB Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State, 6'3 214. I had Nat Byham here, and would still take him, but the recent signing of Michael Matthews makes me think the blocking TE may not be on the board now. Tim Hiller was my QB pick at 195 in v1.0, but I'm thinking Gailey will pull for a more mobile player. Hiller would still be my pick, if a pocket passer fits the new scheme.
Round 7 (195) - DT Doug Worthington, Ohio State, 6'5 292. Homer that lives about a mile from the stadium. Alternatives would be Jay Ross or Travis Ivey.
Round 7 (201) - OT Chris Marinelli, Stanford, 6'7 301. Surprised he's still under the radar, but this guy would be outstanding depth for both tackle and guard positions, plus he's played TE. Alternatives here are J'Marcus Webb and Andrew Tyshovnytsky.
Well, there it is, folks. Before you flame me about not selecting a franchise QB, keep in mind that it will likely require a trade or pick swap to become a reality and I've committed to sticking with our existing draft order.
Fire away!
3 commentsWade Smith will meet the Buffalo media at noon
Posted by Mike Florio on March 6, 2010 10:20 AM ET
With Bills fans hoping for the team to find a new quarterback, the franchise will tender to the media at noon on Saturday free-agent guard Wade Smith, who visited the team on Friday (as pointed out in Josh Alper's most recent one-liners).
The organization distributed moments ago a text message announcing that Smith will be available today for questions. By all indications, he has not yet signed a contract.
Other teams have applied this approach in the past, most notably the Eagles. A free agent visits, and he then talks to the media before a deal is done.
Usually, the player ultimately signs.
But the approach carries with it some risk. After all, Smith could stroll to the podium today and say, "My visit here really sucked. Can someone drive me to the airport? Now?"
It's not likely to happen here. The seven-year veteran spent the last two years with the Chiefs, former employer of new head coach Chan Gailey. Smith appeared in every game last season, starting nine. The prior season, he appeared in 15 games, with seven starts.
So while the Bills need a good quarterback, they also need five guys who can keep the quarterback from being broken into five or more pieces.
dzil's first ever stab at a mock Bills draft. v1.0
by dzil on Feb 2, 2010 10:08 PM EST
on Buffalo Rumblings
Never having attempted a mock draft before, I've decided that it's only fair to present myself for the same criticism that I so freely give. I also want to thank Brian(even if he considers me to be a troll:-)) and the rest of the mods for maintaining this most excellent forum.
As I began to contemplate the Bills best possible draft choices, I was convinced that the proper method would be to combine Best Player Available status with Team Needs. Considering the fact that our team has no shortage of needs, I figured nailing down great player choices should be fairly straight forward. Unfortunately, every other team(with the possible exception of Al Davis) has the same idea. Turns out it's not as easy as it might seem.
By now, most of us are aware of new Head Coach Chan Gailey's proclivity to pound the rock first, along with his past success with getting decent production from mediocre quarterbacks. This knowledge is a big help in determining needs and existing serviceable assets on offense.
At this point, without our yet to be named defensive coordinator on board, we can only assume what the 2010 Bills defensive scheme might be. For the purpose of this mock, I will subscribe to the popular idea that the team will utilize a 3-4 style defense.
I've also decided to be consistent with General Manager Buddy Nix' wishes to build from the draft. The lone substantial exception to this would be the signing of a veteran quarterback. While maybe not absolutely necessary, it would certainly seem advisable.
On to the nitty gritty, after the jump.
Schumer talks to Ralph, Bills will stay
Schumer talks to Ralph, Bills will stay
Ralph confirms to Schumer that Bills aren't moving
From WIVB.com
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (RELEASE) - Following a conversation with Bills owner, Ralph Wilson, today U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer dispelled any concern that the Bills are even considering leaving Buffalo. Schumer announced today that he spoke to Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson and learned that not only are the Bills not entertaining any offers to move from Buffalo, but they have not had a single conversation with the Majestic Reality Co. Schumer said that he reached out to Mr. Wilson and raised the issue after being concerned by media reports that the Bills are being wooed by an out of state real estate company.
"The Bills are part of the very fabric of Western New York, and in Western New York they will stay," said Schumer. "Ralph Wilson is committed to Western New York, has had no contact with any purported suitors, and flatly told me that the Bills are staying in Buffalo. Period. I have long fought to keep the team here, and will continue to do so with every bit of clout I have. I was tremendously reassured to learn today, directly from Ralph, that there has been zero contact with this company and that there is absolutely no consideration of entertaining any of this company’s potential future offers. Buffalo Bills fans can rest a little bit easier tonight."
Reports have recently emerged that a real estate company from California will be trying to lure one of several teams – including the Bills – from their home towns to just outside of Los Angeles. Schumer today said that this baseless attempt to lure the Bills away from their home was a figment of Majestic’s imagination. Schumer said that he will continue to fight in any way he can to keep the Bills in Buffalo, where they belong.
Schumer has a long history in working closely with the Bills and last year played a leading role in securing a new NFL revenue sharing deal that would protect small market teams like the Bills. Schumer personally met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the revenue sharing deal before it was approved last year. Schumer also worked to gain a better home schedule for the team so it could draw more fans and so the region wouldn’t suffer from any black outs.
Redskins interested in April
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at PFT on January 7, 2010 1:55 PM ET
The Redskins love to go big, whether it's on the free agent market or coaching market.
That's why it's no surprise Dan Snyder has his eye on Bobby April, the former Bills special teams coach who became a free agent this week.
PFT's Mike Florio credits a source that Snyder is interested in April, and eager to spend money to get the very best on his new coaching staff. April's special teams units in Buffalo were consistently among the best in football.
New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan began his morning at 6 A.M. to meet with each member of the previous Redskins coaching staff. No announcements about the new staff have been made, outside of the addition of Kyle Shanahan as the team's offensive coordinator.
Danny Smith was the team's special teams coordinator last year.
Bills could still be chasing Cowher
Posted by Mike Florio at PFT on January 7, 2010 7:20 AM ET
One of the more intriguing dynamics in Buffalo arises from the presence of many former Bills players in the various Western New York communities. Coupled with the fact that more than a few of them have access to inside information regarding the team for which they once played, opportunities exist for plenty of folks not in the traditional media business to develop possibly good information about the team.
Lately, we've been paying attention (or, more accurately, readers have been repeatedly pointing out to us) the information being posted online by Joe Logan of EastAurora.org.
Logan reported Monday, January 4 that the Bills were slated to meet with Cowher on Tuesday, January 5, a disclosure that carried extra credibility because Logan also appeared to be the first to report that the Bills would be clearing out their coaching staff.
In the wake of Logan's report, we've seen nothing indicating directly and unequivocally that he is off base. (The closest thing to a refutation comes in the January 7 Buffalo News, in which Mark Gaughan writes that it is "believed the Bills still are conducting some lobbying to try to convince former Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher" but that "[s]ignificant talks with Cowher have yet to happen.")
But Logan has an intriguing new nugget, posting Wednesday night on Twitter. He writes that Cowher is "OK" with the Bills' salary offer, but that Cowher wants a "commitment" from Russ Brandon regarding the money that would be available to sign players.
We'll continue to wait for someone to report that Logan is full of crap. Until someone does, we'll continue to keep an open mind as to the possibility that Logan knows someone who knows precisely what's happening at One Bills Drive.
Bills sign LB Draft, S Johnson
With multiple season-ending linebacker injuries on Sunday, the Bills brought in seven of them from tryouts on Tuesday.
LB Chris Draft was signed. So was S Todd Johnson. Both spent time with the St. Louis Rams in 2008. They replace linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Marcus Buggs on the active roster.
Bills in upbeat mood despite dreadful start
and singing happy birthday to daddy Dick, no less. Makes me want to puke.
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