patmoran2006
03-14-2011, 04:20 PM
We don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, with multiple reports surfacing it could commence in as little as two to four weeks. We also don’t know what the rule will be in regards to seasons accrued, whether it’s fourth, fifth of sixth year players meeting minimum requirements. But even with the NFLPA decertifying and the owners locking the players out, there is going to be NFL free agency.
Without heavily delving into the legal aspects of how free agency will work (we’ll save that for someone more in the know) we’re going to focus on the Buffalo Bills and what approach they make take in the open market.
It’ s no secret the Bills could use a number of roster upgrades. When you’re coming off a 4-12 season and haven’t sniffed the playoffs in over a decade, finding quality veterans to blend in with incoming rookies is a necessity to improve your football team– especially in a division stacked with New York, New England and Miami.
Last year’s free agency period brought mediocre results for first-year general manager Buddy Nix. He hit on Dwan Edwards before the defensive end injured his hamstring, but the rest of Nix’s signings were blanks fired from the talent pool gun. Cornell Green was a disaster at right tackle before injuring his knee and guys like Andra Davis, Reggie Torbor and Akin Ayodele did little to help cure Buffalo’s losing ways.
But that was then. Today starts a series of 2011 free agency breakdowns by position.
Let’s kick things off with the quarterbacks.
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
It’s both widely assumed and highly likely that the Bills will be drafting a quarterback in 2011. And for good reason— Ryan Fitzpatrick’s viability as Buffalo’s starter has and will continue to spark intense debate. Regardless of how you feel about Fitzpatrick, one thing everyone can agree on is the team needs another quarterback. Last year’s backup Brian Brohm, I’m told is a lock to not be back (he’s a restricted free agent the Bills didn’t tender) and Levi Brown is nowhere close to being ready to take the field as the top backup.
Fitzpatrick’s present and future with the club is an enigma. On one hand, over nearly a full season starting, his shortcomings were exploited. He struggled at times last year with accuracy and his arm strength, or lack thereof on occasion were front and center. While some think he can get the job done, there’s plenty of critics that consider him little more than a journeyman capable of giving a team a short term spark.
At the same token, whether you like it or not, you can’t dismiss his presence and how the organization feels about him. Chan Gailey loves him and so do his teammates. Some of them, including top wide receiver Stevie Johnson have said on the record they want Fitzpatrick to remain the starter for a long time.
Statistically Fitzpatrick was pretty solid. In 13 games Fitzpatrick threw for exactly 3,000 yards and tossed 23 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Add a few more games early that he didn’t start and you’re looking at some impressive numbers over a full season.
Plus, despite the beard that made him look 30 years older, Fitzpatrick is only 28 and with a teacher like Gailey, who’s biggest strength has always been his ability to get the most out of quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick actually has plenty room to improve. Don’t forget that Fitzpatrick didn’t have the luxury of taking a lot of snaps with the first team offense in training camp and the preseason. At this time last year the Bills were Trent Edwards’ team.
So despite the ability on a collegiate level and marquee drawing power that Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert of Jake Locker may bring, it’s far from a lock the Bills will use their third overall pick on a quarterback. It’s also not even close to a guarantee they’ll try to snatch up Christian Ponder, Ryan Mallet or Colin Kaepernick in the second or third rounds either. Buffalo will draft a quarterback but exactly when is anyone’s guess.
Indications I’ve gotten as this stage tell me the Bills are leaning heavily towards improving their pass rush as their top priority. That may expand past their first round choice.
For the sake of discussion, let’s assume the Bills remain confident enough in Fitzpatrick to consider him the starter not just for 2011, but the foreseeable future. Let’s also assume the Bills don’t use an early draft pick on a quarterback to groom.
That could bring in a free agent acquisition into play.
There’s no starting quarterbacks available via free agency. Matt Hasselbeck is probably the best of the bunch, but at 35-years old there’s no chance the Bills are interested in him as a starter. Overall it’s an extremely thin… and mostly old crop that will fail to generate an ounce of excitement around these parts.
In the best case scenario Buffalo could find a viable backup for Fitzpatrick while saving a precious, early draft pick for somewhere else.
Here’s a look at the best of the lot and a few guys that just maybe, the Bills will look into:
Marc Bulger (35-years old): He basically got a year off from competitive football after being behind Joe Flacco in Baltimore last year. That’s a good thing for Bulger, who took countless beatings in St. Louis the last few years before 2010. Bulger will hope for a stop gap starting opportunity on a quarterback hungry team like Arizona, San Francisco or Minnesota. If those teams choose to look elsewhere, Bulger wouldn’t be the worst signing the Bills have ever made.
While Bulger is the most talented (and oldest) of the bunch, there’s four former starters who could become decent backup options in Buffalo: Bruce Gradkowski, Alex Smith, Tavaris Jackson and Troy Smith. It’s worth repeating again that none are real starting options but compared to Brohm, they’re all second string upgrades.
There’s also a pair of career backups that could fit the role well in Buffalo. Tyler Thigpen has worked with Gailey and had his best season in Kansas City when Gailey was offensive coordinator in 2008. Jim Sorgi was also a long-time backup to Peyton Manning and knows the second string role very well.
Other, far less likely free agency options include Chad Pennington, Drew Stanton, Rex Grossman, Matt Moore, Matt Leinart, Brodie Croyle and Kellen Clemens.
Comically speaking, J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards are both available for a return trip to Orchard Park.
Summary and Prediction: This is a very weak class if you’re looking for a starter, but should the Bills decide to bypass taking a quarterback anytime early in the draft to focus elsewhere, there are some decent backup options behind Fitzpatrick. What the Bills do at quarterback obviously comes down to how much Nix likes the incoming college class. Keep in mind the 2012 NFL quarterback class looks to be a good one, led of course by Andrew Luck.
Ultimately, I think the Bills will use a second or third round draft choice on a guy to develop. If they don’t, Thigpen could be a solid choice to come to Buffalo.
Coming Next: Running Backs
Without heavily delving into the legal aspects of how free agency will work (we’ll save that for someone more in the know) we’re going to focus on the Buffalo Bills and what approach they make take in the open market.
It’ s no secret the Bills could use a number of roster upgrades. When you’re coming off a 4-12 season and haven’t sniffed the playoffs in over a decade, finding quality veterans to blend in with incoming rookies is a necessity to improve your football team– especially in a division stacked with New York, New England and Miami.
Last year’s free agency period brought mediocre results for first-year general manager Buddy Nix. He hit on Dwan Edwards before the defensive end injured his hamstring, but the rest of Nix’s signings were blanks fired from the talent pool gun. Cornell Green was a disaster at right tackle before injuring his knee and guys like Andra Davis, Reggie Torbor and Akin Ayodele did little to help cure Buffalo’s losing ways.
But that was then. Today starts a series of 2011 free agency breakdowns by position.
Let’s kick things off with the quarterbacks.
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
It’s both widely assumed and highly likely that the Bills will be drafting a quarterback in 2011. And for good reason— Ryan Fitzpatrick’s viability as Buffalo’s starter has and will continue to spark intense debate. Regardless of how you feel about Fitzpatrick, one thing everyone can agree on is the team needs another quarterback. Last year’s backup Brian Brohm, I’m told is a lock to not be back (he’s a restricted free agent the Bills didn’t tender) and Levi Brown is nowhere close to being ready to take the field as the top backup.
Fitzpatrick’s present and future with the club is an enigma. On one hand, over nearly a full season starting, his shortcomings were exploited. He struggled at times last year with accuracy and his arm strength, or lack thereof on occasion were front and center. While some think he can get the job done, there’s plenty of critics that consider him little more than a journeyman capable of giving a team a short term spark.
At the same token, whether you like it or not, you can’t dismiss his presence and how the organization feels about him. Chan Gailey loves him and so do his teammates. Some of them, including top wide receiver Stevie Johnson have said on the record they want Fitzpatrick to remain the starter for a long time.
Statistically Fitzpatrick was pretty solid. In 13 games Fitzpatrick threw for exactly 3,000 yards and tossed 23 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Add a few more games early that he didn’t start and you’re looking at some impressive numbers over a full season.
Plus, despite the beard that made him look 30 years older, Fitzpatrick is only 28 and with a teacher like Gailey, who’s biggest strength has always been his ability to get the most out of quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick actually has plenty room to improve. Don’t forget that Fitzpatrick didn’t have the luxury of taking a lot of snaps with the first team offense in training camp and the preseason. At this time last year the Bills were Trent Edwards’ team.
So despite the ability on a collegiate level and marquee drawing power that Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert of Jake Locker may bring, it’s far from a lock the Bills will use their third overall pick on a quarterback. It’s also not even close to a guarantee they’ll try to snatch up Christian Ponder, Ryan Mallet or Colin Kaepernick in the second or third rounds either. Buffalo will draft a quarterback but exactly when is anyone’s guess.
Indications I’ve gotten as this stage tell me the Bills are leaning heavily towards improving their pass rush as their top priority. That may expand past their first round choice.
For the sake of discussion, let’s assume the Bills remain confident enough in Fitzpatrick to consider him the starter not just for 2011, but the foreseeable future. Let’s also assume the Bills don’t use an early draft pick on a quarterback to groom.
That could bring in a free agent acquisition into play.
There’s no starting quarterbacks available via free agency. Matt Hasselbeck is probably the best of the bunch, but at 35-years old there’s no chance the Bills are interested in him as a starter. Overall it’s an extremely thin… and mostly old crop that will fail to generate an ounce of excitement around these parts.
In the best case scenario Buffalo could find a viable backup for Fitzpatrick while saving a precious, early draft pick for somewhere else.
Here’s a look at the best of the lot and a few guys that just maybe, the Bills will look into:
Marc Bulger (35-years old): He basically got a year off from competitive football after being behind Joe Flacco in Baltimore last year. That’s a good thing for Bulger, who took countless beatings in St. Louis the last few years before 2010. Bulger will hope for a stop gap starting opportunity on a quarterback hungry team like Arizona, San Francisco or Minnesota. If those teams choose to look elsewhere, Bulger wouldn’t be the worst signing the Bills have ever made.
While Bulger is the most talented (and oldest) of the bunch, there’s four former starters who could become decent backup options in Buffalo: Bruce Gradkowski, Alex Smith, Tavaris Jackson and Troy Smith. It’s worth repeating again that none are real starting options but compared to Brohm, they’re all second string upgrades.
There’s also a pair of career backups that could fit the role well in Buffalo. Tyler Thigpen has worked with Gailey and had his best season in Kansas City when Gailey was offensive coordinator in 2008. Jim Sorgi was also a long-time backup to Peyton Manning and knows the second string role very well.
Other, far less likely free agency options include Chad Pennington, Drew Stanton, Rex Grossman, Matt Moore, Matt Leinart, Brodie Croyle and Kellen Clemens.
Comically speaking, J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards are both available for a return trip to Orchard Park.
Summary and Prediction: This is a very weak class if you’re looking for a starter, but should the Bills decide to bypass taking a quarterback anytime early in the draft to focus elsewhere, there are some decent backup options behind Fitzpatrick. What the Bills do at quarterback obviously comes down to how much Nix likes the incoming college class. Keep in mind the 2012 NFL quarterback class looks to be a good one, led of course by Andrew Luck.
Ultimately, I think the Bills will use a second or third round draft choice on a guy to develop. If they don’t, Thigpen could be a solid choice to come to Buffalo.
Coming Next: Running Backs