If only....

[Mahdi]

Just a look at what might have been if the picks Bills fans thought would be made were made.........









Mckinnie over Mike Williams - 2002

Dallas Clark over Willis McGahee - 2003

Lee Evans - 2004 - Keeper

No Trade over JP Losman (Keep 2005 first rounder we gave to Dallas) -- 2004

Use our first round pick in 2005 to draft Aaron Rodgers

Haloti Ngata over Donte Whitner - 2006

Trade up for Mangold not McCargo - draft FS Danieal Manning in 2nd round

Marshawn Lynch - Keeper - 2007

Leodis Mckelvin - Keeper - 2008

Brian Orakpo over Aaron Maybin - 2009

Spiller - Keeper


FAs/Trades

Keep Jason Peters and Pay him


Team today would be:

QB: Rodgers

RBs: Spiller, Lynch, Jackson, Simpson

OL:Peters - Levitre - Mangold - XXXX - Green

WRs: Evans, Parrish, Johnson, Nelson, Jackson, Hardy

TEs: Dallas Clark, Shawn Nelson, Stupar

Front 7: Ngata, Orakpo, Stroud, K. Williams, Troup, Ellis, Coleman, Poz, Mitchell, Davis, Kelsay

DBs: Byrd, McGee, Mckelvin, Florence, Youboty, Manning, Wilson, Scott


We would have 9 Pro Bowlers on the team today. Obviously one change in events leads to others but the swaps I made were realistic compared to the needs the Bills had at the time. For example choosing Dallas Clark over Willis McGahee, the Bills were in need of a TE at the time so it's not that far fetched. Clark was taken the next pick after Willis.

A lil depressing but hey, we have Trent Edwards now so its alllll goooood!

[ddaryl]

If If's and but's we're candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a merry christmas

[BuffaloBlitz83]

Jauron would still be our HC with that roster

[Mahdi]

Jauron would still be our HC with that roster
Actually one of the things I was going to add to the list was never firing Wade Phillips.

[DraftBoy]

Meh, no sense looking back if we can't change anything. Learn from past mistakes and move forward.

[Mahdi]

Meh, no sense looking back if we can't change anything. Learn from past mistakes and move forward.
Yeah, just an interesting view of what could have been.

[methos4ever]

If we never trade mcgahee and we draft ngata, we most likely do not get stroud.

[mayotm]

Meh, no sense looking back if we can't change anything. Learn from past mistakes and move forward.Exactly.

[mayotm]

Yeah, just an interesting view of what could have been.You could do the same thing for just about every team in the NFL.

[TacklingDummy]

Only thing I'd change is...

2007: Darelle Revis

2008: Ryan Clady or Chris Johnson

The problem is though with those players on the roster the Bills probably wouldn't have been in the same position in the draft.

[Extremebillsfan247]

If If's and but's we're candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a merry christmas Sure, until grandma gets a hold of them and adds em to her favorite fruit cake. blahhh... lol

[OpIv37]

Meh, no sense looking back if we can't change anything. Learn from past mistakes and move forward.

Except that when people here are losing arguments, they frequently resort to "well, I'll trust the opinion of the coaches/GM over some message board poster. If you know what you were talking about, you'd be working in the NFL instead of posting here."

I think Mahdi just proved that the coaches/GM's DON'T necessarily know more than the average fan. Performance dictates competence, not title.

[stuckincincy]

Actually one of the things I was going to add to the list was never firing Wade Phillips.

Thanks - putting together "what-ifs" is part of enjoying football, IMO.

My guess is that the WMG pick caused the most dropped jaws among BUF fans. He's a decent player, but passing over Clark when they had a serviceable TH on the team? And G Eric Steinbach was also on the board - another need.

[Mahdi]

You could do the same thing for just about every team in the NFL.
Yeah, but the main issue here is that everyone badly wanted/expected Ngata, Mckinnie, Orakpo and Mangold to be sure picks when Buffalo was on the clock. Thats 4 Pro Bowlers right there and we got starters at best instead.

[mayotm]

Yeah, but the main issue here is that everyone badly wanted/expected Ngata, Mckinnie, Orakpo and Mangold to be sure picks when Buffalo was on the clock. Thats 4 Pro Bowlers right there and we got starters at best instead.Well, continue losing sleep over what could have been. I'm choosing to look forward.

[Mahdi]

Well, continue losing sleep over what could have been. I'm choosing to look forward.
Who's losing sleep? it's just interesting to look at ...

[OpIv37]

Well, continue losing sleep over what could have been. I'm choosing to look forward.

The only problem is that opening day comes around this year, and instead of Orakpo, Mangold, Ngata and McKinnie, we have Maybin, McCargo, Whitner and Bell. So, you can look forward to opening day, but the results of opening day will be greatly dependent on those past mistakes. We can't go back and change the past, but the mistakes of the past are defining the present.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

Everyone didn't want Mangold, that was an after the fact

[psubills62]

But at the same time we have to realize that those players may not have developed into what they are today if they had been drafted by Buffalo. Would Darrelle Revis really have become a lock-down corner if he played in the Tampa 2 for a couple years?

It's true that we missed out on a lot of talent. However, we also lacked the coaches who could really develop young players. We'll see if Gailey changes that.

[Mahdi]

Everyone didn't want Mangold, that was an after the fact
No, most wanted/expected Mangold. We hadn't had a good C for years at that point. And when we traded up it was inevitable, or so we thought.

Personally, I thought we would take McCargo in round 2. So when we traded up for him I actually applauded the pick even though the value wasn't exactly there.

[lordofgun]

Actually one of the things I was going to add to the list was never firing Wade Phillips.
I'm glad you didn't.

[mayotm]

The only problem is that opening day comes around this year, and instead of Orakpo, Mangold, Ngata and McKinnie, we have Maybin, McCargo, Whitner and Bell. So, you can look forward to opening day, but the results of opening day will be greatly dependent on those past mistakes. We can't go back and change the past, but the mistakes of the past are defining the present.It's your personality to piss and moan about everything, not mine. There's not a damn thing anybody can do about past drafting mistakes, so why continue dwelling on it? Obviously, some of the players that the Bills failed to draft would help this year's team. I'm simply not going to drive myself nuts worrying about what could have been. I'll leave that to others.

[OpIv37]

It's your personality to piss and moan about everything, not mine. There's not a damn thing anybody can do about past drafting mistakes, so why continue dwelling on it? Obviously, some of the players that the Bills failed to draft would help this year's team. I'm simply not going to drive myself nuts worrying about what could have been. I'll leave that to others.

Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

[ddaryl]

Yeah, but the main issue here is that everyone badly wanted/expected Ngata, Mckinnie, Orakpo and Mangold to be sure picks when Buffalo was on the clock. Thats 4 Pro Bowlers right there and we got starters at best instead.


sad but true.. 90% of us would have drafted the 1st 2-3 rounds for the BIlls better then they did over that stretch....

[EDS]

If we never trade mcgahee and we draft ngata, we most likely do not get stroud.

Well, since Ngata is much better than Stroud, I don't see the downside.

[ChristopherWalken]

I know this is a hindsight and speculative thread but your theory has holes.

Based on your picks one would then assume that the Bills have progressively gotten better as seasons passed.

This would then lead to the Bills dropping in the draft order each season.

[kelly2reed4six]

I think you could throw Hardy in there and swap him with DeSean Jackson

[kelly2reed4six]

Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.


Amen.

[justasportsfan]

Aaron Rogers would be a bust here. Dick is the QB killer.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

This pertains to fans?

[realdealryan]

Bell > McKinnie in pass protection this year.

McKinnie has started to look very bad at times over the past couple of years, and is going to get Brett killed by Peppers, among others.

[TacklingDummy]

Aaron Rogers would be a bust here. Dick is the QB killer.

Go back and look at the QB's Dick had to deal with. Edwards, Losman, Matthews, McNown, Miller, Chandler, Burris, etc...

Having lacked a franchise QB his whole coaching career hasn't helped.

Was Belichick a great head coach in Cleveland or didn't he all of a sudden become a great head coach when Tom Brady arrived?

[justasportsfan]

Go back and look at the QB's Dick had to deal with. Edwards, Losman, Matthews, McNown, Miller, Chandler, Burris, etc...

Having lacked a franchise QB his whole coaching career hasn't helped.

Was Belichick a great head coach in Cleveland or didn't he all of a sudden become a great head coach when Tom Brady arrived?

Dick would have made Rogers play not to lose. Dick is offensively clueless. He would have gotten his QB killed anyways. Look at history of offenses under him even when he HAD FULL POWER at chicago.


Dick had the power to chose his qb's. He chose to annoint Trent. The qb talent was his own doing.

[TacklingDummy]

Dick would have made Rogers play not to lose. Dick is offensively clueless. He would have gotten his QB killed anyways. Look at history of offenses under him even when he HAD FULL POWER at chicago.

Having full power means nothing when you don't have a QB.

Having a bad offense is not surprising seeing as how he never had a QB.

[justasportsfan]

Having full power means nothing when you don't have a QB.

he had the FULL power to hire ,draft a qb. He chose not to have a qb.

Dick " Hey Aaron , we're playing the pats, fins and jets but I want you to practice vs. the 4-3. Mmkay?"

Yeah, that's a great way to develop a qb.

[trapezeus]

in this scenario of getting stuff right from 2002, it would suggest that maybe Gregg williams would have been successful. and dick wouldn't have been here.

i think if gregg williams came in and cleaned house and went with young guys that bought his brash demeanor, he would have been successful.

instead he had vets who were like, "f this guy". And he got undermined from the get go. add in a declining bledsoe and he was done.

[cookie G]

Just a look at what might have been if the picks Bills fans thought would be made were made.........









Mckinnie over Mike Williams - 2002

Dallas Clark over Willis McGahee - 2003

Lee Evans - 2004 - Keeper

No Trade over JP Losman (Keep 2005 first rounder we gave to Dallas) -- 2004

Use our first round pick in 2005 to draft Aaron Rodgers

Haloti Ngata over Donte Whitner - 2006

Trade up for Mangold not McCargo - draft FS Danieal Manning in 2nd round

Marshawn Lynch - Keeper - 2007

Leodis Mckelvin - Keeper - 2008

Brian Orakpo over Aaron Maybin - 2009

Spiller - Keeper


FAs/Trades

Keep Jason Peters and Pay him


Team today would be:

QB: Rodgers

RBs: Spiller, Lynch, Jackson, Simpson

OL:Peters - Levitre - Mangold - XXXX - Green

WRs: Evans, Parrish, Johnson, Nelson, Jackson, Hardy

TEs: Dallas Clark, Shawn Nelson, Stupar

Front 7: Ngata, Orakpo, Stroud, K. Williams, Troup, Ellis, Coleman, Poz, Mitchell, Davis, Kelsay

DBs: Byrd, McGee, Mckelvin, Florence, Youboty, Manning, Wilson, Scott


We would have 9 Pro Bowlers on the team today. Obviously one change in events leads to others but the swaps I made were realistic compared to the needs the Bills had at the time. For example choosing Dallas Clark over Willis McGahee, the Bills were in need of a TE at the time so it's not that far fetched. Clark was taken the next pick after Willis.

A lil depressing but hey, we have Trent Edwards now so its alllll goooood!

I did the same thing about a year ago on another site. I also negated the Bledsoe trade. I generally took someone in the lower 5 slots of where the Bills' picked. I was concentrating on D. Going from memory....

The guys I had on my D were:

DL

Tommie Harris
Ngata
Freeney

LB

Poz
Orakpo (added later)


DB

Winfield
Clements
Bob Sanders
Troy Polamalu

On offense I picked up

Rodgers
Dallas Clark
Mangold
Lynch
Ryan Clady

I could win with that group. Of course, I still need linebackers. If Clady made Peters expendable, you still have Wood inserted, probably at LG.

A cute exercise.