San Diego Draft Parallels

[BuffaloBlakely14]

I know we have talked about it, but this looks like a San Diego draft from 2001, LT and Drew Brees. Obviously we can only hope for that outcome.

[chernobylwraiths]

Tebow!

[smithencrazy]

sounds more like mccoy.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I know we have talked about it, but this looks like a San Diego draft from 2001, LT and Drew Brees. Obviously we can only hope for that outcome.

I made some time to come on tonite just to make that point.

I don't know if the Bills have identified a QB that they think can become their Drew Brees, but Spiller definitely has what it takes to become their Ladanian Tomlinson.

I've watch the guy since he was a freshman and IMHO he is the most explosive player in the draft--a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball.

A lot of comparisons are being made to Reggie Bush, but I think Spiller is more in the mold of a Chris Johnson or Tomlinson. He's not strictly a trick play guy or someone that you have to put "into space" because he doesn't run hard enough to run between the tackles. I've seen him run between the tackles: if you give him a little crease, he's got the speed and vision to find it and run through it and he has enough "wiggle" to be able to make guys miss him when running inside. I remember a game when he was a frosh when Davis, the sophomore starter broke in inside trap play for a long TD run. On the next series, Spiller broke the exact same play for an even longer TD run, even though the defense was now ready to stop that play.

Where Marshawn Lynch runs to contact, Spiller runs to daylight. And, unlike Lynch, Spiller has breakaway speed to run away from the defense when he gets to the second level. Just like Ladanian Tomlinson.

Will Buddy Nix now get his Drew Brees to go with his Ladanian Tomlinson? I don't know. With their needs at OT and especially NT, the Bills may feel that they don't have the luxury to take a QB in Round 2. We'll find out if Nix's strategy is to take playmakers early in the draft and fill in around them later on or if it's to take the best player available to fill a need--and whether Chan Gailey thinks he already has a QB on the roster that he can turn into a winner--pretty early on Saturday night when we see who the Bills pick in Round 2.

Remember that the Chargers struggled with Brees and LT at first until they were able to bring in better players around them. With all of the holes that the Bills have to fill, it may be impossible for them to fill all of those holes with good players and playmakers the first year of this new regime. So, they may opt to do what the Chargers did--bring in some playmakers early on and let them get some experience as the foundation of the team while they build the rest of them team around them piece by piece over the course of a couple of years. If they don't think they have a QB that they can win with on the roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see them draft a QB in Round 2, especially if Clausen or, especially, Colt McCoy is still on the board.

Personally, I'd rather see them take T.Cody or R.Saffold or C.Brown in the second round (in that order) instead of a QB, but I'm curious to see what Nix and Gailey decide to do and wouldn't be surprised to see them follow in the mold of what the Chargers did to turn their team around.

[jamze132]

Well by looking at the names still available, we should be able to a get a starter in RD2 easily.

[Michael82]

Colt McCoy will be our Drew Brees! :pray:

[Mahdi]

I know we have talked about it, but this looks like a San Diego draft from 2001, LT and Drew Brees. Obviously we can only hope for that outcome.
Don't forget about the injured throwing shoulder angle, same height, same mobility, same accuracy, similar questions about arm strength.

Very interesting.