Buffalo has a good o line who can provide him time. They have a good running game to take pressure of him. And they have some playmakers who can score on the drop of a dime.
Alex Smith will probably never take this team to a superbowl, but he can get them to the playoffs while we develop a franchise quarterback.
If they don't resign Levitre the line takes a bigggg hit.
I didn't follow NFL too closely this season, but given the Bills strength of schedule based on 2011 standings, their 2012 record / performances (or really, lack of) and their opponents 2012 record, I think fair arguments can be made the Bills are worse than 8th from bottom. Maybe as bad as 4th or 5th worst in the NFL. Their 2013 goal should be 8-8 given the difficulty of their 2013 schedule.
I predicted 5-11 at beginning of 2012 season. So they exceeded my expectations. I still believe a LB should be their #1 draft priority, not QB.
My early grading scale for the 2013 season:
A+ playoffs
A 9 wins
B+ 8 wins
B 7 wins
C 6 wins
D 5 wins
F 4 wins
I didn't follow NFL too closely this season, but given the Bills strength of schedule based on 2011 standings, their 2012 record / performances (or really, lack of) and their opponents 2012 record, I think fair arguments can be made the Bills are worse than 8th from bottom. Maybe as bad as 4th or 5th worst in the NFL. Their 2013 goal should be 8-8 given the difficulty of their 2013 schedule.
I predicted 5-11 at beginning of 2012 season. So they exceeded my expectations. I still believe a LB should be their #1 draft priority, not QB.
My early grading scale for the 2013 season:
A+ playoffs
A 9 wins
B+ 8 wins
B 7 wins
C 6 wins
D 5 wins
F 4 wins
I think draft priority largely depends on who becomes the head coach. If they get a guy like Lovie Smith, he's probably going to want a really strong defense, so they probably go linebacker. If they snag someone like Chip Kelly, getting him a future starter at QB to work with is going to be a priority.
Of course knowing the Bills, they'll hire an unknown coach from a Division III school and draft a running back.
If they don't resign Levitre the line takes a bigggg hit.
I'd be beyond passed if they don't resign byrd and levitre. You have to sign your best players. Not only to build a winner, but to build an image that good players want to play here.
It doesn't make much sense to prognosticate what they should draft until finding out who they signed in free agency. As things stand now, imo, their biggest needs are linebacker and receiver as there isn't a quarterback worthy of the 8th slot.
It doesn't make much sense to prognosticate what they should draft until finding out who they signed in free agency. As things stand now, imo, their biggest needs are linebacker and receiver as there isn't a quarterback worthy of the 8th slot.
I feel the same way. I want the bpa at a position of need. Does next year's draft class look to have more potential at QB?
I feel the same way. I want the bpa at a position of need. Does next year's draft class look to have more potential at QB?
Barring a meteoric collapse of draft stock, yes it does. Bridgewater and Manziel will be Top 5 picks and won't be reaches like Glennon, Barkley and Wilson would be at that stage. Even Geno Smith to some extent is probably a reach in the Top 5.
Barring a meteoric collapse of draft stock, yes it does. Bridgewater and Manziel will be Top 5 picks and won't be reaches like Glennon, Barkley and Wilson would be at that stage. Even Geno Smith to some extent is probably a reach in the Top 5.
Manziel can come out? He's only going to be a Sophmore.
1 year ago we were saying great things about this draft class of QBs. Matt Barkley, Logan Thomas, etc were all supposed to be pretty good...and then somehow they all sucked simultaneously. So take extreme caution in making projections a year in advance of the draft...
He can because he's a red shirt soph next year. That's the 3 year minimum. He won't be a top 5 pick though. He is not a topnotch NFL prospect.
He's a quarterback and the status of topnotch prospect doesn't typically apply to them as evidenced by Tannehill going early last year and Locker / Gabbert the year before.
Some great quotes from Cardinals DC and Bills HC candidate Ray Horton:
Quote:
Horton is viewed as a strong personality with leadership ability. He is a protege of Pittsburgh Hall-of-Fame coach Dick LeBeau, for whom he both played and coached. Horton was on LeBeau's staff in Cincinnati from 1997 to 2001. He was defensive backs coach in Pittsburgh (where LeBeau is defensive coordinator) from 2004 to 2010.
...
"I think I'm a coach of men," he said. "I talk about a plan to build a team. I don't talk about, 'Hey, I can build this offense or this defense and good luck with the rest of the team.' Whether you're an offensive coach, you've got to have a defensive guy who can do something on that side. It all blends together. I think that's a zero issue."
...
"Nope. I delegate, [referring to if he will call the defense]" Horton said. "I think a guy that controls everything controls nothing. I would be there to assist and help if needed. But I trust the coaches I hire to be experts at their positions.
"Now, am I going to get 11, 15, 22 experts who are going to be experts at every position? Probably not. But the two coordinators are going to be experts. Really, in my power structure, that's how it works. Your head coach and two coordinators have to be expert at their position. It's a trickle-down effect of getting this guy to do this and 'Hey, coach this this way and do that.'
That definitely is a refreshing change of pace from the coaches we've had...I'm interested to see how he does. Someone with emotion and a good pedigree.
Ray Horton, Dick Jauron, Chan Gailey, Mike Mularkey, Gregg Williams. All the same garbage. I am done with this team if we hire Ray Horton when Lovie Smith is begging for the job.
Ray Horton, Dick Jauron, Chan Gailey, Mike Mularkey, Gregg Williams. All the same garbage. I am done with this team if we hire Ray Horton when Lovie Smith is begging for the job.
Lovie Smith made the playoffs once in his last 6 years.
I'd take a hungry guy with something to prove like Horton over him any day.
Lovie Smith made the playoffs once in his last 6 years.
I'd take a hungry guy with something to prove like Horton over him any day.
Lovie Smith won 10 games this year. The Bills haven't reached 10 wins since 1999. Lovie Smith is 84-66 as head coach with a super bowl game. Horton was DC of a terrible team and his defense wasn't even that good, 12th and 14th the last 2 seasons big deal. Buffalo always goes for the bums coordinators from LOSERS. Atleast Lovie has the 4th most NFC wins during his time as Bears coach. And he is a much better defensive mind then Horton.
Lets be honest, none of us have any idea how any of these guys would really do here. Lovie Smith sounds great in theory, but there's a reason he was fired. Ray Horton sounds great but there's a reason he hasn't been a HC before.
In the end, you can find flaws with each and every guy, we won't have any idea if we're getting the a Mike Mularky or a Wade Phillips at the time of the hire.
Us hiring Ray Horton is the same thing as when we hired Gregg Williams over Marvin Lewis. Makes me sick when I think of Lewis being the other final candidate and that we hired Williams over him. I have a feeling OBD is going to repeat history.You think we would be this bad if we had hired Lewis all those years back?
