Thursday, December 29, 2011

2012 NFL Mock Draft: The Buffalo Bills Draft

There are many 2012 NFL Mock Draft sites online already.  I think that they were putting them up early and often.  What is the buzz around 1 Bills Drive?  What will the Bills do with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft?  It is hard to guess, so I thought I would take a look at some possible draft picks.

There are some fans that will argue that the Bills need to add a pass rush threat to their defense.  Looking at the fact that they allowed 400 yards a game, a pass rusher might just be what the Bills need.  There is one guy that comes to mind when pass rush is mentioned. Brandon Jenkins of FSU.  He is underrated and should easily drop to 11th in the first round.  This would make him available for the Bills to pick up.  He could start immediately at OLB and provide the threat that they need.    Does the name Cornelius Bennett or Darryl Talley come to mind?

Thinking that the Bills are not going to pay the $7.5 million that Stevie Johnson is asking for, they might be looking at Michael Floyd wide receiver out of Notre Dame.  Even if they resign Stevie this could be a perfect complement and he would fit right into the Bills plans. A big receiver at 6'3" and 220 pounds.  He has good hands and is a pretty good route runner.  The Bills need a big receiving threat.


If the Bills decide to add depth to the offensive line which despite all the injuries are tied for 1st for sacks allowed.  They might choose to pick Reilly Reiff OT Iowa.  He could help protect Fitzpatrick and maybe even open up a few holes for whoever is running the ball next season.  Remember even though Fred Jackson looked great, CJ Spiller is really starting to show the NFL why the Buffalo Bills drafted him.  Still sticking with Freddy on this one though.  No man should lose his job to injury.  Even so, they could use both and be set at running back.

There you have it.  Three possible draft picks for the 2012 NFL Draft.  Its time to put all the Dick Juaron draft picks to bed and start anew.  Remember that it was just a couple years ago the Bills fired everyone and started fresh.  Lets give Chan Gailey at least one more year before we call for his head.  But, George Edwards its time to cut ties with this man.   Time to sit back and wait for the 2012 NFL Draft to see who the Buffalo Bills will pick up.

What Do The Bills Have To Do To Make the Playoffs?

A dozen of years have passed since the last time the Bills played a game in the NFL post season.  This has led to many discussions on what has to be done in order for the Bills to make the playoffs next season.  How many more years are going to pass before the fans start to turn on their beloved team?  Many say that Bills fans are the best in the league because they show up year after year.  How much longer are they going to do that?

Here is what I feel has to happen for the Bills to go to the next level.

  1. No more second half letdowns.  Not in the games, but the season.  The Bills started 5-2 and are still missing the playoffs.  This can not happen again.  
  2. Ryan Fitzpatrick is going no where any time soon.  Ralph Wilson Jr. has made this clear so they need to get him a team.  Drafting has to get better and they need to be more active in free agency. 
  3. Coaching needs to be upgraded.  Starting with defense.  George Edwards needs to go.  His inability to call a game is quite evident.  This defense has glimpses of being good, so how come they cant be consistent. 
Fans are still there and you can read everything that they are saying on the Facebook Superfan page.  Not sure on what position the Bills need to draft first, but I have a feeling that unless they sign Stevie Johnson to a contract its going to be receiver.  Who do you feel the will draft in the first round of the 2012 draft?

Friday, December 16, 2011

Inside the Ryan Fitzpatrick Deal: Can The Bills Afford To Realease Thier QB

While reading a few posts on the Buffalo Bills Superfan Facebook page I noticed quite a bit of dislike towards the play of Ryan Fitzpatrick as of late.  All this bad play on the field seems to have started about the same time he signed his six year deal with the team.  Now, the question is raised.  Can the Bills afford to release their QB?  Lets look into this deal a bit more.

Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a six year contract extension.  He became the first starting quarterback since Doug Flutie to do so.  He also signed what might become one of the most lucrative contracts in team history.  Here's the numbers.  After all that is what most fans want to know.


Length: 6 years
Value of Contract: $59 million
Signing Bonus: $10 million
Option: $5 million
Guaranteed Money: $24 million

Now this is where it gets tricky.  Fitz probably has already received the signing bonus.  In March he will get the $5 million option.  Now that is $15 million of the guaranteed money.  He only gets the rest of the money if he is still on the roster.  If the Bills release him this off season it only costs them $15 million of the $59 million value.

Now this gives them some play if they decide to cut ways with Fitzpatrick.  Which by the way I do not see happening.  Chan Gailey has already mentioned that he does not see them drafting a quarterback.  So, I personally think that they are happy with Ryan Fitzpatrick and will be keeping him on for the duration of the contract.  Well at least for the first few years of it.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Ryan Fitzpatrick: My Take on His First Year As Starter

I was asked this question today.  What is your take on Ryan Fitzpatrick?  I would like to go over his stats for this season so far.  Then I will give you all what I think of the job that some people were calling Fitzmagic early on.

Remember back in September when the Buffalo Bills defeated the Chiefs, Patriots, Raiders and the Eagles.  On their way to to a surprising 4-1 record.  The only loss long this way was to the Bengals.  It seems that Buffalo Bills took the NFL world by storm and were heading into a territory that they haven't been to in a decade.  But, wait lets fast forward to today.  The Buffalo Bills are a disappointing 5-8.  They have dropped six straight games and not one fan would have thought that this could happen.  The Buffalo Bills were officially eliminated from post season play.  Now lets get to Ryan Fitzpatricks stats over the span of 13 games.

In the first 8 games.

170-260 passing (65.4%), 1,930 yards, 15 TDs, 9 INTs, 92.3 rating, 18 plays of 25-yards plus.

Last 5 games.

108-189 passing (57.1%), 1,083 yards, 5 TDs, 7 INTs, 67 rating, 7 plays of 25-yards plus.

What this shows is that his production has dropped off.  Now there could be a lot of factors in this.  First they lost Fred Jackson.  That left them relying on CJ Spiller who has been nothing but disappointing at the running back position.  I beg the Bills to use him at WR and see what he can do for them.

Now there are no excuses to be made here.  The Buffalo Bills took a bunch of steps backwards and they are nothing like they were in the beginning of the season.  Fitz is not playing at the level he was and they have a whopping 15 players on injured reserve. But that is not an excuse in my eyes.  Champions over come obstacles and Bills have not done so.

So, my take on Ryan Fitzpatrick is that the 6 game skid is not entirely his fault.  But, when he over throws or under throws a receiver, its all on him.  Yes the play calling has to change.  Maybe its time to get an offensive coordinator and let him design the plays.  Chan Gailey is doing an okay job, but being a head coach and offense coordinator might be too much for him to handle.  This seasons ending will be blamed completely on the entire team.  Yes, we can point fingers at the QB and Coaches.  Or even blame the amount of injuries.  But, in the end here is what the Buffalo Bills need to do. 
  • Fire George Edwards
  • Hire an Offensive Coordinator
  • Draft a QB to take over after Fitz fails again
  • Improve the Depth at all positions
  • Get a new strength and conditioning team.  There are way too many injuries for the second season in a row.  
If they do not make the playoffs next season.  Its time to pay for a quality coach and players.  Lets put a winning team on the field and start enjoying being a Bills fan again. 

Buffalo Fans Upset At Governor Cuomo: Waiting For the Money

Ralph Wilson Stadium
It seems that there are a few upset fans of the Buffalo Bills.  If you really want to know how they feel all you need to do is visit the Facebook page of Durty Mick.  On his profile he has set it straight on how he feels about Governor Cuomo not helping to keep the Bills in Buffalo.  Now as I sit here and type this in I did a bit of research on this subject and came across an article.  It was titled Cuomo Pledges to help Bills, though money is tight all over.  So, with that in mind lets take a look at what New York State has done to help its sports teams.

Back in 2009 the Great State of New York paid over $700 million dollars to help subsidize the building of Yankees Stadium and Citi Field.  Now the teams paid for the building of the stadiums but they were awarded tax cuts and discounts to help cut the cost.  So, why cant NY do the same for the Bills.  Ralph Wilson Stadium is over 30 years old, they are not looking to build another one.  All they want to do is renovate the one they are in.

When the New York Giants and the Jets got their new stadium it was believed to have cost over $1 billion.  Now the figure is in at about $1.7 billion I am not exactly sure how much money New York gave here, if any.  I say if any because Met Life Stadium is located in New Jersey.  But, which ever state helped build the stadium I am sure that they gave a nice healthy chunk.

Now if you are ready to help keep the Bills in Buffalo.  Write Governor Cuomo and let him know that he needs to help the Bills with tax cuts and other ways of saving money.  Just like the state did for the Yankees and Mets.

Click the link to send him an email.  Click here to write Cuomo!

Sixty Catches: Stevie Johnson First Bills Since Eric Moulds

While surfing the web this morning I decided to check out Twitter.  On a daily basis I visit BillsMafia Twitter and see whats happening in the world of Buffalo Bills fans.  I ran across this post.

Just read that is the first WR to post back-to-back 60+ catch seasons since Eric Moulds.

This is quite an accomplishment so I thought that I would dig a bit deeper into this subject.  It would be nice to know how Stevie Johnson stands up against some of the Bills great wide receivers.  So here are few of the stats that I was able to come across.



Andre Reed has 951 receptions for a total of 13,198 yards.  He played 15 years in Buffalo and 1 in Washington.  Reed is eligible for the Hall of Fame.  Just not sure when he will be inducted but it is my opinion that a few of the on field fits that he threw might keep him out another year or two.  But, it wont be long before he joins his teammates Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly.  The interesting part of his career is that he had 5 years in a row of 60 or more catches.  Possibly the best receiver in Bills history.

James Lofton ranks up there among the best Bills receivers.  Here are some of his stats. He finished his career in Buffalo with 151 catches.  Not one of the years he was in B-Lo did he record a 60 plus year season.  But, lets not take that away from what he did for this team.  He played with some of the best players in Bills history and was part of the team that went to four straight Super Bowls.

Eric Moulds was a great player.  He played for Buffalo for 10 years.  The most notable being 2002 where he recorded 100 catches.  He had 60 plus yards in a total of 8 straight seasons.  A great stretch of great years for him.  Moulds will always be remembered as one of the best receivers in Buffalo history for what he did while he played here.  He finished his career after spending 1 year playing for the Texans and 1 year for the Titans.

Jerry Butler played his entire career in Buffalo.  He recorded 278 catches for 4301 yards.  I do not know much about him as a player except for what I have read.  I do however know that he played in only 1 pro-bowl.  He is considered one of the top 50 receivers of all time.  So, I had to include him in the post. Also not one 60 plus yard season.

So there you have it.  Stevie Johnson's 60 plus receptions for back to back seasons.  First time since Eric Moulds and only the 4th time in Buffalo history.  The interesting fact is that not one Buffalo Bills receiver ever recorded back to back 1000 yard seasons.  It will be interesting to see if Stevie Johnson will be able to complete that feat next.  Only time will tell.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Two Former Bills Land in Dallas

The Buffalo Bills lost a member of their practice squad.  The Dallas Cowboys signed Saftey Mana Silva off from the Bills practice squad. The Buffalo Bills signed Mana Silva to the practice squad back in November.  Now the Bills can look to add another player to the squad.

Dallas also signed former Buffalo Bill Sammy Morris.  Morris is set to replace DeMarco Murray who was placed on injured reserve. Morris was a former 5th round pick by Buffalo back in 2000.

Keep checking back for the latest news from 1 Bills Drive.

Buffalo Bills Officially Eliminated From Post Season Play

George Wilson of the Buffalo Bills praying

It seems that being a Buffalo Bills fan this year has been a roller coaster ride. We all rode the hill to the top. Beating the New England Patriots for the first time in 15 games. We made unbelievable comebacks and Ryan Fitzpatrick was playing like Jim Kelly. Then when we reached the top of the climb it was a free fall to the bottom.

Buffalo Bills fans everywhere can relate to the above feelings. We all have rejoiced in the victories and were very critical in the defeats. Now that the season is just about over and our beloved team is eliminated from playing in January, where do go from here? What happens during the up coming off season is going to shape the way next season goes. I guess the best thing is that there is no LOCKOUT this year.

After starting out with 5 wins and 2 loses the Bills have dropped 6 straight games. Going from one of the surprising teams to the basement of the AFC East is not what anyone expected. But, it happened and it leaves the coaches and players looking for answers. Not to mention all the fans on the Buffalo Bills Super Fan Facebook Page. Not going to speculate but it may be time to part ways with George Edwards.

Looking forward to the off season is not something that anyone thought we would be doing already. The talk of playoffs for the first time in a dozen years, possibly even a shot at the AFC Championship. All the hype and none of the hope. It was a good start and a bad end. Let us finish strong. Lets Go Buffalo!