Catch-Up

22Feb13

Sorry it has been so long since a previous post; I was so caught up with school. But now that I have more time, it’s time to get back on that Bills news grind. So many things to talk about relating to the Bills, and I intend to talk about as many of them as I can. If you want me to write a post about any particular topic, feel free to email me at allthingsbills@gmail.com. 

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Topics

19Jan13

Please comment if you have any topics you want me to talk about, I’d be happy to write a post on them

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Welcome to the NFL Draft

13Jan13

This is how I would approach the 2013 Draft if I were the Buffalo Bills. Please comment if you have any questions or if you disagree. Enjoy!

Round 1 Manti Te’o (ILB, Notre Dame)

If Jarvis Jones falls, take him immediately. Assuming that won’t happen, Manti is the guy. Yes, the National Championship was not good for him. He looked sluggish and unprepared, but then again so was the rest of Notre Dame (zing!). Notre Dame simply was not prepared, either offensively or defensively, for the game, and that is not Manti’s problem. A linebacker is the biggest need on defense, and that should be addressed immediately. Any quarterback taken at the 8 spot will be way too early.

Round 2 Ryan Nassib (QB, Syracuse)

Okay Bills fans, here is our future franchise quarterback. There will be no learning curve if we draft Nassib, and that is perfect for the Bills, since they really don’t have time for excuses anymore. He is tall enough (6’2), strong enough. and accurate enough. He has enough speed to run away from a sack for a positive gain. He is a great decision maker and makes few mistakes. I have watched game film from more than a few of his games this season, and I have good notes and bad notes. The really only bad note I have is that his outside passes from about 20 yards out are a little erratic, but an NFL wideout can make most of the catches that Nassib’s receivers cannot. I have the utmost faith that Nassib will be the best solution for the Bills’ quarterback problems this offseason, whether through the draft or free agency.

Round 3 Justin Hunter (WR, Tennessee)

Stevie Johnson is an incredible route runner, probably the best in the NFL. But he is not a number 1 receiver. If you look around the NFL, the most successful number 1 receivers are tall and fast; for example, Calvin Johnson, Roddy White (and Julio Jones), AJ Green, etc. Well, that mold fits well with Justin Hunter, and he will probably be there in the 3rd round. He was hurt his Junior year, which hurts his draft stock. However, he is 6’4 and runs a pretty fast 40 time. He will be a great deep threat who is not strictly raw talent (cough cough TJ Graham) and will be able to take pressure away from Stevie.

Round 4

James Morris (OLB, Iowa). The Bills need another linebacker who is good against the run. Morris had 113 tackles this past season with 9 tackles for a loss. I think he would be a great addition to the Bills’ defense as he is a consistent player, something our defense definitely needs.

Round 5

Ryan Otten (TE, San Jose St.) There is a lot of depth as far as TEs go, so I expect Otten to drop to the 5th round. He has had great production in his college career and, as seen in New England and Indianapolis, the two TE system works great for the pro style offense.

Round 6

Dustin Hopkins (K, Florida St.) For whatever reason, Chan Gailey did not trust Ryan Lindell this past offseason. Though it may be because Gailey was a moron when it came to difficult decisions, something tells me that distrust was because of something. Lindell is getting old and is definitely not a timeless kicker like Vinatieri or Akers. Hopkins has a strong foot and could be a trustworthy late-game kicker.

With these moves, I think the Bills could have multiple impact rookie players on the field next season.

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Changing a culture

08Jan13

I’ve attached a short clip of Doug Marrone’s initial press conference with the Bills. 

http://www.buffalobills.com/media-center/videos/Bills-introduce-Marrone-as-head-coach/be669460-5023-4737-8e2a-cd7387753618

The one thing that I like most about Doug Marrone is that he has the ability to inspire this Buffalo Bills team. His past two jobs have been with perennial losers turned successful teams (New Orleans and Syracuse). This is an extremely powerful things, for one very important reason. You can have as much talent as you could possibly want on a team, but if they do not trust a coaching system or trust the coach, that talent is wasted. Take a look at the Philadelphia Eagles. Andy Reid was given a ton of talent, but he did not use the players correctly and the players did not trust his scheme. That obviously has not taken them very far the past couple years. Also, on another note, Marrone is also beginning to interview some high profile coordinators, including Mike Pettine, DC for the Jets. Since his contract expires in February, this might be a good opportunity for the Bills to land a nice DC, as Marrone said in his interview that he will not be directly calling the plays on either side of the ball. This could be very appealing to future coordinators. It seems as if the dynamic in Orchard Park is changing, and a new culture is on its way.

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Comments…

08Jan13

I just wanted to throw it out there that a lot of these pieces will merely be my opinion on the subject (it’s a blog…). So, if you have a different opinion, please feel free to comment on the post and I will respond as soon as I can. Or, you can email me at allthingsbills@gmail.com

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Doug Marrone- Continued

07Jan13

So judging from the poll I posted, I’m getting the vibe that a lot of people don’t really know that much about Doug Marrone. So, I thought I’d give everyone a little more information about him. Marrone is an alumnus of Syracuse University. He played offensive line. He played for a few years in the NFL, but nothing to call home about as it wasn’t that long of a career. He was an offensive line coach for Herm Edwards when he was in New York. From there he was the Offensive Coordinator in New Orleans for 3 years. He then went back to his alma mater in the hopes of turning around a truly horrible team. In the seven years before Marrone arrived, Syracuse had a record of 26-57. After his fourth year, Syracuse had a record during his tenure of 25-25 and finished this year with a tie for the Big East title (and an 8-5 record). Now, here is one thing about Doug Marrone. Avoid his record, please! Recruiting takes time to take effect, and his first recruiting class was starting to pay off. Syracuse also isn’t known for getting the best recruits. I haven’t heard a single NFL analyst say that Marrone will be anything less than a great coach, from Herm Edwards to Brian Billick to local radio guys. As Brian Billick says, “He brings that pedigree that’s kind of popular now, a substantial pro background with that mix of college.” Believe it or not, that’s what people have wanted. He has enough NFL experience without a thought of being considered a retread, as well as being an offensive-minded college coach. If you think about it, he’s exactly what Buffalo fans have wanted…

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Doug Marrone

06Jan13

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Meet the New Coach- Doug Marrone

06Jan13

 

Now, let me preface this post by saying that yes, I did not have Marrone in my last post. It is not because I do not like him as a coach; I actually think he is an impressive coach who has a lot of experience in numerous positions on offense. I just did not think it would be the perfect fit because he wouldn’t make a big splash in the media for the fans. But, what’s done is done and the Bills have come out with a great coach. He has no head-coaching experience in the NFL, but has coached under Herm Edwards and Sean Payton, two very respected men in football. I also hope that this means we will draft Ryan Nassib. Now, people might ask, “Why Nassib?” I will say that Nassib is not the best quarterback in the draft according to Mel Kiper and Todd McShay. Geno Smith and Tyler Wilson have that title. However, Nassib is an excellent decision maker, something to look for in a quarterback. He led a great game-winning drive against Missouri and is pretty darn accurate. However, that is not the most important part. As people saw with Ryan Tannehill, it helps to have the same playbook in college and the pros. Tannehill’s coach at Texas A&M, Mike Sherman, is now the OC in Miami and that is helping Tannehill progress a lot. I think this can happen with Nassib, being able to stay comfortable by having a similar playing style as in college. Overall, I am very happy with Marrone. For once, the Bills have gone with a smaller name and succeeded.

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New Head Coaches

02Jan13

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From The Ground Up

02Jan13

In 2010, the Bills, unable to lure a high profile coach into Orchard Park, were forced to take a cheap option and hired the 58 year old Chan Gailey. Known for his offensive-minded coaching style, GM Buddy Nix hoped that Gailey’s scheme would turn things around for the franchise. Three years later, it looks as if we are back at square one. With plenty of other teams hoping to land the same people in this incestuous coaching pool, a couple questions arise. First, are the Bills sexy enough? Do they have enough talent to land a top-tier coach unlike three years ago? Second, who should the Bills go for? While many people are speculating right now, it appears as if the Bills are hoping that coach lies in Arizona (http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/1/1/3825040/buffalo-bills-head-coach-search-ken-whisenhunt-ray-horton). However, the question right now is who? Though Ray Horton, Ken Whisenhunt, and Russ Grimm are all options, they are simply not the best out there. And though it looks as if the Bills might settle for the ugly bridesmaid yet again, here are some good directions in which the Bills should go in. 

Offensive Coaches

1. Mike McCoy (OC for Denver Broncos)- According to Adam Schefter, the Bills requested permission to interview McCoy, the OC for the Broncos. He has built himself quite the resume, being able to bring the divisional title to Denver for two years in a row. Now, let me remind you that ONE OF THESE TITLES WAS ACHIEVED WITH TIM TEBOW!!! No matter who the quarterback will be in 2013, know that if McCoy were the coach, we would be in good hands. 
2. Kyle Shanahan (OC for Washington Redskins)- Now, I am very aware that Kyle is 33, but he created the playbook this summer for RGIII (It’s going pretty well). Off to a shaky start in the beginning of the season, the Redskins have been on fire, securing a playoff birth this past sunday. Like with McCoy, Shanahan would be a great fit if we wanted an offensive-minded football coach. 
3. Dirk Koetter (OC for Atlanta Falcons)- The Falcons have had arguably the most consistent offense in the NFL. With a franchise quarterback in Matt Ryan, two excellent wide receivers in Roddy White and Julio Jones, an offensive line who can remain healthy throughout the year, and an average running back, the Falcons have themselves a dynamic offense (Note: the Bills have a solid offensive line that struggles to remain healthy, one out of two top receivers, a pro-bowl caliber running back, and no quarterback. Welp.). Give Koetter a quarterback like Tyler Wilson and a wide receiver like Terrance Wiliams, I can picture big things. 

Defensive Coaches

1. Lovie Smith (Ex-Coach of the Chicago Bears)- This is the man who the Bills should hire. A proven winner who isn’t extremely old and man who gets the most out of his players, who wouldn’t want this guy? The man has a great resume (a top defense every season, as well as a Super Bowl appearance- WITH REX GROSSMAN). Offensives win games, but defenses win championships. If the Bills have any brains, they should sign Smith immediately.
2. Mike Zimmer (DC for the Cincinnati Bengals)- A bit of a quiet name, Zimmer has silently turned the Bengals into a ferocious defense. A decent fit, but not a very sexy fit.

Overall

I think Lovie Smith is the best choice. He can get the best offensive coordinator to help him on offense and is a big name coach. If the Bills want success, Lovie is the answer.

 

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Tags: Buffalo Bills, Dirk Koetter, Kyle Shanahan, Lovie Smith, Mike McCoy, Mike Zimmer, NFL