Bills ignore needs in draft

[Pinkerton Security]

Bills ignore major needs
Before this draft, the Bills were strong in their secondary and at running back as well as decent at inside linebacker. Every other position needed significant work. So what did Buffalo do? It drafted a running back with the ninth pick, and a specialty player at that.


The Bills organization was not at all in the position to make such a luxury pick. That isn't a knock on C.J. Spiller (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=13203), but an outside runner such as Spiller will find some very tough sledding with awful offensive tackles trying to pave the way against 3-4 defenses in the brutal AFC East. Waiting until the 140th pick to finally address the Bills' putrid offensive tackle situation was simply criminal. It won't shock me if seventh-round pick Kyle Calloway (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=13328) sees playing time at tackle sooner than later -- which isn't necessarily a great thing -- but he is well-coached and might be a pleasant surprise.


Even so, counting on seventh-round picks isn't a good business plan. I understand that transitioning to a 3-4 defense from a 4-3 scheme takes a different type of front-seven player, which is why I don't condone Buffalo's making that change now with the awful status of its offense. Ignoring offensive tackle, wide receiver and quarterback will result in a long, low-scoring season.


Are the Patriots' draft tactics getting old?
As usual, all the trading down and wheeling and dealing set the Patriots up very well for the future. But my worry here, and with this philosophy overall, is how many true difference-makers has Bill Belichick brought to New England lately via the draft? In the four previous drafts, the only impact Patriots I see are Jerod Mayo (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=11244) and Brandon Meriweather (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=10468), and it could be argued that they are not among the top players at their respective positions yet. Mayo was the 10th pick, and Meriweather was 24th. My point? There is some validity to using high picks on difference-makers, and trading down makes acquiring such stars difficult.



Belichick is the best coach in the NFL and clearly one of the best talent evaluators, but even with his game-day brilliance, the NFL is predicated on creating mismatches with superior football players. Even this draft looks to be made up predominantly of role players -- maybe very good role players if everything works out, but role players just the same.



So even after the draft, New England still remains short on pass-rushers, and Tom Brady (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=2330) will be handing the ball to the same stable of ordinary running backs. All the moving around is impressive, but maybe it is time that we become a little more critical of the Patriots' draft tactics.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=5139286

[superbills]

So, the Bills blow up their draft board and now it's sour grapes. Never mind that they had us picking Bulaga with that pick who, according to their assessment "...might max out as a very good right tackle in the NFL..." A right tackle prospect at number 9 over-all? I'm glad we don't have these geniuses in the war room.

[ddaryl]

We had plenty of major needs, and those focusing on the Bills needs at LT and QB is what sets apart the real draftniks from the pretenders.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

How does a writer know what the Bills FO is thinking? They didn't ignore anything, they have a plan and they are going to carry it out. This draft did tell me, of course IMO, that this team doesn't expect to win the Super Bowl next year. They don't pick the guy others wanted them to take and they ignore their needs? Give me a break.

[feldspar]

Freddie Jackson is a good player, but he scored 2 rushing TDs last year. His 2 one-hundred yard games came against the worst run defense in the league and against the Colt's scrubs. Plus, he's 29. I still think Lynch is better. Stiller should score more TDs than Lynch and Jackson combined last year, which was six...that's including rushing AND receiving TDs. I thought the whole point was to score points....

Anyway, it takes time to rebuild. Buffalo was 30th against the run last year, so that's not exactly something you should wait to fix.

We simply had too many holes to fill. There are stop-gap Tackles out there (Flozell Adams) and even potential franchise ones (Gaither). At this point, it's even possible that we get Faneca, move Wood to Center, and pick up either Gaither or Adams. That would make for a pretty decent line it seems.

The final roster is far from set.

It takes time to rebuild the right way. If we panic based on need we're doomed.

[Bill Cody]

I was opposed to the Spiller pick for exactly that reasoning, it was a luxury pick on a team loaded with holes. However I comfort myself with this thought, New Orleans did he same thing drafting Reggie Bush and a few years later they won the Super Bowl. So I don't hate the pick. What you absolutely can't do with first rounders is swing and miss, something we've done many times. I doubt Spiller is a miss.

In a way it doesn't really matter. We needed like 10-12 new players to compete at a high level and we may have landed 4 or 5, which is pretty good. And even though I feel like we reached for Troup, we had a decent draft and we filled some holes. But make no mistake we are still signifcantly short on talent, starting at QB. If Nix caught lightning in a bottle with Brown and we have an A draft next year, then maybe we can really move forward. Until then we just need to take our beatings and add good players across the board.

[wmoz11]

Our major need was getting better on offense. We did that and who cares how we did it?

[Philagape]

The Bills' offense scored 23 TDs, 30th in the league. That's a major need that Spiller can impact right away. No other pick could do that.

[Philagape]

The other major need was run defense. Picks 2 and 3 addressed that.

[Don't Panic]

It pains me to say this because Fred is a stand-up guy and Lynch has been a thug, but if we could get a 4th for Jackson right now, I'd take it. I see Lynch and Spiller as perfect compliments. Having both of them in the backfield at the same time would be a LB's worst nightmare, not to mention a safety and DC's too. If Lynch can effectively come to realize what a gift of an opportunity he has to be a great RB in this league, we'd be all set. Can we get him some Tony Dungy time or something? Lynch and Spiller would make life for Trent or whoever was our QB a hell of a lot easier.

[mysticsoto]

It pains me to say this because Fred is a stand-up guy and Lynch has been a thug, but if we could get a 4th for Jackson right now, I'd take it. I see Lynch and Spiller as perfect compliments. Having both of them in the backfield at the same time would be a LB's worst nightmare, not to mention a safety and DC's too. If Lynch can effectively come to realize what a gift of an opportunity he has to be a great RB in this league, we'd be all set. Can we get him some Tony Dungy time or something? Lynch and Spiller would make life for Trent or whoever was our QB a hell of a lot easier.

I would not take anything less than a 2nd for either FJ or Lynch. They are very good RBs and if someone wants their services, they should pay for it. Having Spiller is great, but all it takes is a roll on an ankle or a trip/bad fall and he (or anyone) could be out. Injuries happen frequently in a tough league and it doesn't hurt to have the kind of insurance that we have.

Besides, all 3 RBs can catch and if need be, we can line them up at a WR position and throw defenses off completely...

[Lexwhat]

I was opposed to the Spiller pick for exactly that reasoning, it was a luxury pick on a team loaded with holes. However I comfort myself with this thought, New Orleans did he same thing drafting Reggie Bush and a few years later they won the Super Bowl. So I don't hate the pick. What you absolutely can't do with first rounders is swing and miss, something we've done many times. I doubt Spiller is a miss.

In a way it doesn't really matter. We needed like 10-12 new players to compete at a high level and we may have landed 4 or 5, which is pretty good. And even though I feel like we reached for Troup, we had a decent draft and we filled some holes. But make no mistake we are still signifcantly short on talent, starting at QB. If Nix caught lightning in a bottle with Brown and we have an A draft next year, then maybe we can really move forward. Until then we just need to take our beatings and add good players across the board.

Excellent Post.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

we need to keep all 3 backs.. the league is so rough right now...

[Don't Panic]

I would not take anything less than a 2nd for either FJ or Lynch. They are very good RBs and if someone wants their services, they should pay for it. Having Spiller is great, but all it takes is a roll on an ankle or a trip/bad fall and he (or anyone) could be out. Injuries happen frequently in a tough league and it doesn't hurt to have the kind of insurance that we have.

Besides, all 3 RBs can catch and if need be, we can line them up at a WR position and throw defenses off completely...

We're not getting a 2nd for Lynch or Jackson. Point taken on the injuries though. I just hope we can make it work when they're all healthy.

[psubills62]

I understand that the Bills needed a QB and LT. I'm one of the people who really wanted Bulaga at #9.

First of all, how hard is it to realize, especially now, after watching EVERY QB except Bradford take an huge fall, that nobody in this QB class was worth reaching for?

Secondly, and this is my main point, to believe that we have no other needs besides QB and LT is idiotic. We had very, very little personnel that matches up in the 3-4 defense. Are they saying we didn't need an LT? Didn't need an OLB? Didn't need a WR? Didn't need someone who can actually figure out where the end zone is without a TomTom?

People need to realize that the Spiller pick was not a RB pick. It was a playmaker pick. Spiller can be used all over the field, and it's likely that we'll see a lot of looks with both him and Fred Jackson on the field at the same time. Whether or not he actually turns into Chris Johnson is beside the point - we need someone who can score from anywhere on the field.

So just because we didn't fill two positions doesn't mean we didn't address needs. As far as I can see, every pick we had was used on a need. If we had taken a whole raft of DB's (ahem, Jauron), then I would agree, but since we didn't take any of them, not sure how they can say that.

[Griff]

does he realize that there isn't a single 1-3rd rounder on the Saints starting Oline, and that outside of the few elite 1st rounders, early pick OTs rarely pan out?

[feldspar]

I understand that the Bills needed a QB and LT. I'm one of the people who really wanted Bulaga at #9.

First of all, how hard is it to realize, especially now, after watching EVERY QB except Bradford take an huge fall, that nobody in this QB class was worth reaching for?

Secondly, and this is my main point, to believe that we have no other needs besides QB and LT is idiotic. We had very, very little personnel that matches up in the 3-4 defense. Are they saying we didn't need an LT? Didn't need an OLB? Didn't need a WR? Didn't need someone who can actually figure out where the end zone is without a TomTom?

People need to realize that the Spiller pick was not a RB pick. It was a playmaker pick. Spiller can be used all over the field, and it's likely that we'll see a lot of looks with both him and Fred Jackson on the field at the same time. Whether or not he actually turns into Chris Johnson is beside the point - we need someone who can score from anywhere on the field.

So just because we didn't fill two positions doesn't mean we didn't address needs. As far as I can see, every pick we had was used on a need. If we had taken a whole raft of DB's (ahem, Jauron), then I would agree, but since we didn't take any of them, not sure how they can say that.

Yeah, when you were 30th in the league against the run, you would assume there were some needs in the front seven, wouldn't you? Not only that, but the switch to the 3-4 made that need even greater, especially on the line. If we can fortify our front seven, we could be a very good defense; we already have the secondary. I think we have the personnel to show a bunch of different looks now.

[Bill Cody]

I would not take anything less than a 2nd for either FJ or Lynch.

That's the trouble with drafting RB's high. It's like buying a high end car, you buy high and the damn thing starts depreciating fast before you're even out of the show room door. We wouldn't get anything close to a 2nd for either player. If Lynch had the right attitude and had never had any incidents he'd be worth it but then again if that was the case we wouldn't be looking to ship his ass out of dodge. If anyone offered us a 3rd for Lynch he'd be on the next plane out. It could happen in camp, there are always injuries. At this point there's no rush to do something, who knows, WE could have an injury.

But I am concerned bout his attitude. This kid seems as dumb as Travis Henry and you may recall Henry tanked it his last year here. You might say "why would Lynch do that, it's not in his interest"? Because he may be just that dumb, that's why.

[psubills62]

Yeah, when you were 30th in the league against the run, you would assume there were some needs in the front seven, wouldn't you? Not only that, but the switch to the 3-4 made that need even greater, especially on the line. If we can fortify our front seven, we could be a very good defense; we already have the secondary. I think we have the personnel to show a bunch of different looks now.

Agreed. Since pretty much every defensive player we drafted is strong against the run, I'll be very interested to see how much our run D improves. I see this draft as possibly being the cornerstone of our D, and next year is when they'll really look to upgrade the offense significantly.

[mysticsoto]

That's the trouble with drafting RB's high. It's like buying a high end car, you buy high and the damn thing starts depreciating fast before you're even out of the show room door. We wouldn't get anything close to a 2nd for either player. If Lynch had the right attitude and had never had any incidents he'd be worth it but then again if that was the case we wouldn't be looking to ship his ass out of dodge. If anyone offered us a 3rd for Lynch he'd be on the next plane out. It could happen in camp, there are always injuries. At this point there's no rush to do something, who knows, WE could have an injury.

But I am concerned bout his attitude. This kid seems as dumb as Travis Henry and you may recall Henry tanked it his last year here. You might say "why would Lynch do that, it's not in his interest"? Because he may be just that dumb, that's why.

That's all true. But the point was, if we can't get what they are worth...keep em! He's much more valuable to us as insurance and in power packages (goal line situations etc). Why put the weight on Spiller when we can use his speed early in the game, use FJ's elusiveness in the mid game, and Lynch's power on a tiring defense in the 4th qtr. I have to believe that the FO can work out a game plan to include all their features...

[Bill Cody]

That's all true. But the point was, if we can't get what they are worth...keep em!

I think that's the plan right now. All I'm saying is Lynch could be a negative if he does not improve his attitude so if we get an offer of a third we will hand him bus fare.

[Akhippo]

That's all true. But the point was, if we can't get what they are worth...keep em! He's much more valuable to us as insurance and in power packages (goal line situations etc). Why put the weight on Spiller when we can use his speed early in the game, use FJ's elusiveness in the mid game, and Lynch's power on a tiring defense in the 4th qtr. I have to believe that the FO can work out a game plan to include all their features...

I would start Lynch first and third qtrs. Let him pound and take the brunt of a fresh defense.

Bring in Jackson midway through the qtrs.

Then spring a fresh Spiller on a tired defense. Who wants to chase a rabbit when youve been getting hit by a bull all game.

Which by the way is why i dont think Trent will start. Its not called play action dump off. We have to pound and then go deep. Not his strong suite of late. Im not sure how you can play action to the back, then wait for them to clear to throw it to them.