Does anyone know what the compensation was in the Lynch trade? I know it was a fourth this year and a conditional pick in 2012. I am wondering what that pick was since they made it to round two of the playoffs. I believe I saw a second round, but it was an unreliable source (ProFootballtalk). I was not thinking that we would get a second round draft pick, but I think if we got two fourth round picks, that would be great.

The Buffalo Rumblings staff has done an unBILLevable job with the content and quality of information on this site. I find it great to see Brian's articles being posted with the likes of sports writers from the New York Post and The Boston Globe ( http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/13244/afc-east-wire-hernandez-has-drug-history ). This is the site I go to over all others (ESPN, Buffalo News, WGR 550, SI) to get by Buffalo Bills information.

I live in Cincy and this gets me my buffalo Bills fix and more.

Thank you Rumblings staff

 

 

 

Larry Foote was just released from the Steelers.  He is 28 years old but was playing ILB in the Steelers 3-4 defense.  He did not have a overly productive 2008, but would probably only request 3.5 to 5 million a year.  Do you think he would be worth bringing in.  He has two Super Bowl rings and would bring some additional experience to what is a somewhat young roster.

Link: Pro Football Talk

 

Looking at the Bills in a positive light.  Please, no "Negative Nancy's."

I just want to start by saying that if we are going to have a year that we would be replacing or moving, up to four of our offensive linemen and plan on having three impact rookies start (DE or OT or OG or TE or LB); it might as well be this year. Here are my reasons to be optimistic and why:

1.  We have an extra preseason game:  This will allow our new offensive line to gel with each other and for the rookies to gain valuable snaps in an NFL setting.  This will also give Edwards some extra snaps, since it will still only be his second full year starting

2. TO factor:  With TO lining up across from Lee it will do several things for our team and offensive line.

• It will give Trent one on one options on the outside, especially if they stack the box for the run
  
• If they don't stack the box for the run, then we run the ball with one of our three capable RB (Lynch obviously not until week 4)
• Josh Reed is like most other QBs  TE for Trent Edwards.  With a viable #2 WR, I see Reed having the most improved (not best) stats out of him and Lee

3. Run game:  The best way to help a weak offensive line is to run the ball well. Walker (LT), Bell (RT) will do fine while running the ball.  This will keep defenses honest and protect Trent.
4. Draft Picks:  With Walker and Bell playing tackle, I see the Bills taking the best player available with their first two picks and not trading up to get a player.  With how deep the draft is, I can see the Bills trading up in rounds two and three to nab a player the really like.
I wanted to give the plus side to all these moves.  A team like the Eagles needs a dominant LT a lot more then a team like the Bills need a dominant LT.  The Eagles pass a lot more and have a QB that holds on to the ball. The Bills have a better run game and a QB that gets rid of the ball.  The Bills can get by with an above average LT which I think Walker can be... Walker is not a push over.
Please let me know your positive thoughts.

It pretty much says that we are looking for a 4th round choice but will probably get a 5th rounder.  It also says that the Redskins seem to be interested.  I am curious to see what the rest of the story has to say... maybe something about a Kelsey trade (at-least I hope so). 

I think it would be great for us to get a 4th and a 5th for Roscoe and Kelsey.  I think it would set us up great to move up in the draft. If we unloaded Kelsey's and Roscoe's salary, it would allow us to move up and possibly have an extra 1st (give us 3) or 2nd (give us 2) or another 3rd and be able to afford the salaries.

Link to Story

 

What do you guys think of the rumor?

What do you think of paragraph two?

Cutler and Edwards bring two different styles of QB to the table.

Cutler

• Great Arm
• Semi-mobile
• Lots of TD - Lots of INTs
• Big ego and may buckle under pressure

Edwards

• Accurate passer
• Stays in the pocket to complete a pass
• Game manager with a few more TDs then INTs
• Cool, Calm and Collect

I would in no way want Cutler over Edwards.  Can you imagine the fireworks if Cutler didn't get TO the ball.  You would have TO yelling at Cutler as he is currled up in a corner crying.  Cutler would then go home, wherever that is and complain to his parents.

this pertains to Jason Peters...

 

Obviously we are all huge Bills fans and that is why we are on this site.  This site also gets lots of recognition and is on BuffaloBills.com.  I will say that support is very contagious and that is what the Bills Nation needs.  I wrote about how mad I was that Peters held out, but now is the time to get behind Peters and show that we care.  Lets not bash him and lets encourage him.  If he can quickly get back to his Pro Bowl form, will increase our chances of the playoffs. 

 

I have not posted any entry in awhile but thought this would be a great topic to get back into the mix.

I am so disappointed in a guy that was an undrafted TE, who we turned into a Pro Bowl linemen.  I don't think if he came to camp right now, that he would be ready for the season.  

Most of the Bills must be a little be aggravated for him holding out.  This was supposed to be the year we turn things around. Guys like Schobel, Kelsey, Denney, Crowell and Evans who have been here the longest must be really pissed.

Holdouts for guys that deserve money are one thing and I do believe that football players need to get theirs when they can because their careers are not that long.  But Peters' holdout at this point is just selfish.  If this was any other player other than the quarterback, I would say screw him. But the fact that Edwards is in his 2nd year and we are short on depth is a reason to worry.

 Bottom line is Peters has wore out his welcome and I hope he sits out the rest of the season and we make the playoffs.  I would even take Peters sitting on his couch and the Bills going 9-7 without him... just to prove a point.

I think I might even hate Jason Peters, whether he comes back or not.  If he comes back, every mistake he makes is going to be scrutinized.

 

Im out!!!

I saw on DraftTek.com that they have the Bills trading our #11 pick and our #147 pick (4th round) to the Eagles for Lito Shepard and their #19 (they have us taking Devan Thomas at #19). This would be a dream come true if it results in three things:

1. We can sign Lito to a long term deal (4/5 years) without giving him Samuel or Clement money.
2. This doesn't effect us resigning Evans.
3. This doesn't effect us resigning Crowell.

IMO, the signing of Shepard would allow McGee to be the #2 CB and give us a top 5 defense.

Also IMO, if we sign Evans and Shepard or Crowell and Shepard, this would give us a bigger whole next year to fill at WR or LB. I  love the talent it brings, but it will also bring a high cost.

Do you think this could happen?
Do you think we can sign all three (will Shepard cost too much)?
If we do this trade, who would you rather sign, Evans or Crowell?

I am not sure if anyone remembers the draft when JP came out. Most analysts had JP going to the Packers. The Packers were drawn to JP because of his extreme resemblance of Farve when he was JPs age. They both were very raw with cannons for an arm but needed some work and time.  This makes me think that JP will end up with the Packers by the end of the draft or before (especially with all the rumors of him going to the Packers anyway).

What does everyone think they will give up to get JP and will it be enough for us to pull the trigger?

If we do trade JP... who is a legit backup that we can grab at a reasonable cost (Culpepper will not come cheap, nor do I want him in a Bills uniform)?

I know that this has been a huge debate over the past several months and I have nothing new to argue about either three of them. I just spent the last half hour looking at random videos of all three and have come to one conclusion.

If all three are healthy and we picked any of them with our 11th pick, I would not be disappointed.

People say rookie WR don't contribute, I think it is a product of who they are lining up with. You are telling me that with Lynch in the backfield, Roscoe or Reed in the slot and Evans on the opposite side that any of the top three WR is not going to put up decent numbers (like I said before... if they are healthy).

This post is not for ney-sayers... I want to hear peoples excitement for selecting either one of these guys. I personally think if we don't take one at 11, we will do what ever it takes to move back up and grab a top 3 WR.

I am excited about several things leading up to the Draft.

1. With our FA additions, we have already improved our team dramatically (whether Stroud stays healthy all year or not)
2. Any additions via the draft, will help our team even more
3. We have good enough players to start at several positions on our roster, so we have numerous options with our picks

As far as our FA additions go; if we said we would add Mitchell and Spencer I would have assumed we would use a draft pick to grab another DT. That DT would be our 4th and possibly the 2nd man in the rotation depending on when he was drafted. I would figure that if it was a guy we selected in round 1, he would challenge Spencer for the #2 spot (I give McCargo the #1, this is before we added Stroud). So IMO, we are looking great after FA.

After FA, you look at what we need and who we can land in the draft. We did not lose a single person from last years offense. This brings me to my second point. Whether we add Kelly, Sweed, Thomas, Hardy, Davis, Keller, Bennett, Rucker or Finely, will it make our offense any worse. Not to mention Edwards, Lynch and our whole O-line will have one year under their belt. As far as defense goes, we have drastically improved it in FA. If we added another CB in rounds 3 - 4 like  Trae Williams (South Florida) or DeJuan Tribble (Boston College) or someone that falls to us (like Edwards did last year)... we would just add great depth.

With my last point about having good enough players to start. Part of the problem was Trent was a rookie. Royal was not as bad as people may think... he had a injured foot for 3/4 of the season. Not only that, but as we all know, our Offensive Coordinator was probably the worst play caller of all-time.

Could we have won another game or two with better play calling? If so, does it really matter what receiver we get as long as we get one in rounds 1 - 3?

If we added a decent receiver in rounds 1-3, having a healthy Royal and adding Teyo Johnson and Courtney Anderson with better play calling... wouldn't that be a huge upgrade?

Adding any young, athletic defensive player in any round... wouldn't that help our special teams?

What do you guys think?

My point is OBD has done such a great job of setting us up for success the past two years, we can't really go too wrong with the guys incharge making the decisions. Jauron is great and he needs to stay in Buffalo for a long time.

This is the report I just found on ESPN.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3300395

I think that this is a great signing. Yes, he has injury problems, but he also has size. I like this signing a lot better then Websters signing last year. This should cross off the MUST HAVE as far as CB go. We have McGee, Greer, James and Youboty and that is quite alright to me.

I love what we are doing this offseason... it looks more and more like we go WR/DE in round one but I think we also with this signing gives us one less must have and a greater opportunity to trade down.

This is great insight to why the Bills and Johnson might be waiting to get something done. The article is a little long, so make sure you have 5-10 to take it all in.

I really didn't think about it this way but it makes perfect sense.

Let me know what you think!!!

http://www.billszone.com/mtlog/archives/2008/03/07/as_i_see_it_evans_and_losman_key_to_further_moves _by_the_bills_in_free_agency.php

At the begining of this offseason, if we were to say we would land a Super Bowl winning OLB and a 3-time Pro Bowl DT, we would all be going crazy. This would allow us to go into the draft with WR, TE, DE and CB as our needs. The last two on the list should be helped by our additions already made on defense.

With quality TEs more than likely be able to be drafted in the 3rd round, this gives us the opportunity to draft a WR and either DE/CB with our first two picks. With taking either a DE/CB, it will help the other out tremendously. With a good pass rush, it helps our corners and with good corners, it helps our pass rush.

The way I see it is no matter what receiver we pick-up in round 1/2 he should be what we are looking for. The first 2 rounds are for immediate impact players and that is what we are going to get. So whether we pick Kelly, Sweed, Hardy or Thomas and we grab the best DE or CB we can, we are so much better than anyone could have expected coming out of this ofseason.

The moral is... if Johnson wants to be a Bill, let him. Yes, I said LET him be a Bill. With the moves this offseason, we are going to be a cotender... not a playoff contender, I mean a SUPERBOWL contender.

One HELL of a job MARV, DICK and the rest of the front office gang (including Ralph). They had a vision three years ago and it is looking like it is paying off this off-season.

I am very happy with McGee and Greer, but does anyone have a feeling that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie could potentially be a difference maker. The kid is 6'1.5 and runs a 4.3 40. Wouldn't you like to have a kid that can easily go up after balls in the red-zone and challenge Moss. I was not sure about taking a CB in the first round, but I think our #2 WR could be easier to find in round 2 than an impact CB in round 2.

Below are 11 receivers we could possibly land in the first 2 rounds of the draft:

Above 6 ft.
Limas Sweed
Malcolm Kelly
Devin Thomas   
James Hardy       
Early Doucet   
Andre Caldwell
Adarius Bowman (could be in the 3rd)
Jordy Nelson (could be in the 3rd)

Below 6 ft.
Lavelle Hawkins
Mario Manningham
DeSean Jackson

What do you think about Cromartie in Round 1?

What do you think about a CB in Round 1, WR in Round 2 and TE in Round 3?

Can any of the above WR be the #2, to free up Lee (either 1st or 2nd Rounds)?

A few points:

• He is 34 years old
  
• He played for a HORRIBLE offense the past three seasons
  
• He is 6'2
  
• He has speed

My thoughts:
I think he would be a great player to bring in for 1 or 2 years, incentive heavy contract (i.e. games played, total plays, etc) and this would allow us to draft someone in the middle rounds (3rd to 5th round). This would give us 5 receivers (Evans, Muhammed, Reed, "DUI" Parrish??? and a draft pick). Muhammed is not the guy that is our #2 for the future, but unlike a lot of the guys that are FAs, this guy is not injury prone. He has had a great year in the NFL next to a Pro Bowl calliber WR (Steve Smith), which makes me think he would be great with Evans.

One more thought:
If we need to keep a guy like jenkins for Special Teams, we will have to see how the roster pans out. Usually the #5 WR is also a Special Teams player... depending on who we draft.

WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK ABOUT THIS?

I have enjoyed the conversations about the draft on this message board and think people have great knowledge of the Bills needs. The thing is... Free Agnecy can turn everyting upside down. All it takes is one BIG signing from a team ahead of us, for a potential draftee to slip down the draft boards and land with the Bills. This can cause a HUGE ripple affect all throughout the draft.

This is why I would like to hear what people think about free agency and only free agency!!!

I would like to hear what people think of possible signings/ extending current players, trades and any player movement prior to the draft.

I love what we did last offseason with the signings of Walker and Dockery.

I wonder if we are going to spend Dockery and Walker money on potential FAs?

Will the Bills get a jump start and try and make an early impact in FA like they did last year?

Are we going to extend Evans or Crowell?

Who will we target first? We can't offer everyone a contract at once... who will be our #1 target (Williams, Briggs or a solid #2 receiver)?

Do you think we can bring Bruce or Phil out of retirement?
What about Lofton or Reed?
I think Metzelaars would be a great addition?

PLEASE RESPOND... BUT LEAVE THE DRAFT TALK FOR LATER.

thanks,
Bills fan who lives in CIncinnati (Bengals stink)

The offseason is going to be filled with speculation and doubt on whether the Bills new front office will put the Bills in a place to make a run at the playoffs.

I am here to say that it is not all that complicated and the Bills will not have to over spend or nail every pick in the raft to get there.

OFFSEASON MOVES:

•  Whether the team signs Wilford, Johnson, Gage or Hackett really doesn't matter. They are not going to cost a ton of money because their are several WR in the draft and all four guys are unproven. One of these four guys will help on the outside with there size and red zone threat ability. This will allow us to draft a WR with our
• The other free agent move the team will make is signing a DT. I am guessing we will make a run at Cory Williams. He will cost more than our WR free agent, but Williams is 27 and still has plenty of great years ahead of him. He also has great size 6'4 and 313 lbs, which means he is big but not FAT.
• With the signing of a WR and DT means through the draft our priorities should be LB, TE and DE (then we go for depth at WR, CB and OL). The best part is that we have four selections in the top three rounds so we can get a great quality depth player with our second 3rd round pick.

RD1 - starting WLB

RD2 - Pass catching TE that will challenge Royal and Teyo for the starting spot this year but is the long-term solution to our TE problems

RD3a - A fast pass rushing DE who will be start as 4th on the depth chart but will quickly move up especially on passing downs.

RD3b - I believe that we grab a physical CB to compete with Youboty, Greer, Webster and Thomas for the #2 CB and Nickel CB.

Rd4 - WR unless Steve Justice is available (best Center in the draft)
Rd5a - Tackle
Rd5b - Guard/ Center