Inside The Bills

Dolphins-Cowboys to swap picks?

The Dolphins have reportedly been trying hard to trade out of the 12th overall pick. Do they finally have a trade partner?

According to the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are talking to the Dolphins about moving up to the 12th overall selection from their current spot at 27, but it would take an awful lot to get up there.

Speculation is it will take a combination of picks and players.

Clausen has numbers

Being the quarterback of any major college football team is pressure enough. Being the QB at Notre Dame is arguably bigger than that. Jimmy Clausen handled it and got better each of his three seasons with the Irish.

Clausen is no stranger to high expectations. From his freshman year in high school he has been known as a “once in a generation talent” and “the LeBron James of football.”

Clausen became just the second quarterback in Fighting Irish history to amass 3,000 passing yards twice in his career (with 3,722 in 2009 and 3,053 in 2008). His 28 TDs and 4 INTs on a team with no defense and four 4th quarter comebacks are the kinds of things scouts look at. The proof is on the tape.

1 hour until live draft chat

The Buffalobills.com live draft chat begins an hour from now. Be sure to join the draft day chatter starting at 7 pm and running through the top 10 picks, perhaps longer if the Bills move out of the ninth overall selection.

In addition to the chat commentary we’ll also be running all of our draft content from the media lounge at Buffalobills.com on our chat page, so it’s more than just a chat, but video to get you procastinators up to speed on the talent in the draft and just who the Bills might be looking at for the ninth overall pick.

Small taste of misinformation

To provide a glimpse of the misinformation flying around out there here is just a small taste.

Former NFL scout Dan Jeremiah who runs MoveTheSticks.com offered the following twitter post concerning the Bills.

MoveTheSticks    Told by one source Buffalo is for sure taking Clausen, told by another that they aren’t… lot of crap flying around right now.

At this point it might just be best for everyone to just wait and see who these teams pick. Then again the draft isn’t the draft without speculation and rumor.

Phones are quiet… for now

Buffalobills.com had the opportunity to talk with Bills head coach Chan Gailey in his office shortly after taking a break from the draft room. He described the mood in the draft room, shared the level of dialogue on the phones and just how many prospects the Bills feel good about at ninth overall.

Gailey, in his exclusive one-on-one interview with Buffalobills.com characterized the dialogue on the phones with other teams as “quiet,” but said that could change as the draft draws closer or their pick draws closer at ninth overall.

“Right now thing are pretty quiet,” said Gailey. “There hasn’t been a lot of dialogue, but as you get to within about an hour of the draft or when it gets close to our pick then there’s conversations that pick up at that time. It’ll be interesting to see how that goes. We’re excited about our ninth situation. We don’t ever want to be here again, but we’re excited about having nine this year and what we may be able to get there. I don’t know if we’re going to be anxious to move around a lot or not.”

Gailey also outlined the number of players they have in mind for ninth overall. The whole interview is right here.

Lombardi: Bills will have QB by end of night

National Football Post and NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi is making a pretty bold statement with respect to the Bills regarding what they’ll have on their roster by the end of day one of the draft.

In his Diner Morning News column, Lombardi cited a high ranking NFL source stating that the Bills will have a new signal caller on their roster by the time Thursday night is over. Here’s the excerpt.

Someone high ranking in the NFL told me Buffalo will have a quarterback before the first round is over tomorrow. Not sure who it will be but, the Bills will have one.

So Lombardi is of the belief that Buffalo will make a move to acquire a QB, be it at nine or from trading up into the bottom of round one to get one or via trade to acquire a veteran already on another NFL roster.

Knowing how tough it can be to find a willing trade partner and how tough it can be to swing a deal for a quarterback it’s a pretty bold statement to make.

Oakland to move McFadden?

One position where the Raiders are stocked is at running back, but that could change before draft weekend is over.

That according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who indicated that Oakland is dangling RB Darren McFadden as trade bait, while appearing on Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio.

With McFadden on the block and Justin Fargas an unrestricted free agent and not expected back, Michael Bush is the only back with experience on the Raiders roster. If McFadden is moved, could the Raiders be interested in acquiring a back via trade to replace him?

Live draft chat at 7 pm

As part of Buffalobills.com’s coverage of the 2010 NFL draft, we’ll be unveiling a new feature for Bills fans tonight.

We’ll be conducting a live chat for fans to take part beginning at 7pm. You can go to the home page of Buffalobills.com for the link to the chat with me to discuss the draft as things unfold. While we’re talking draft, Buffalobills.com will also have almost an hour of draft content for you to watch and listen to on one side of the web page, while the other side will contain our chat content.

It’s just a sampling of what we’ll be offering Bills fans tonight in addition to live coverage of the post pick press conference with Buddy Nix and Tom Modrak after the ninth overall selection. We’ll also have a one-on-one interview with head coach Chan Gailey for you later this afternoon just a couple of hours before the draft commences.

Bills open to trading down

On draft day just about anything is possible. The right trade offer could come along that Buffalo cannot refuse. That’s why GM Buddy Nix isn’t ruling anything out come Thursday evening.

When asked in a radio interview with Shredd and Ragan on 103.3 The Edge if he’d be open to trading down, Nix said the following.

“It would be a consideration for sure,” Nix said of trading down from pick nine. ”Now the only thing about that is you’ve got to have a partner to move down. Somebody has got to want to trade. The second thing is when you see the spot you’re going to move to you have to know who you think you’re going to be able to get at that point. Just having an extra pick or two extra picks, if you don’t get somebody that can help you, there’s no reason to move.”

Nix admits he still leans on gut instinct at times when it comes to the big decisions that can make or break a draft class, but it’s based on months of study and preparation. He also explained that while he has final say on making a call, whether it’s a trade or a move up or down the board, he won’t do it without consultation or consensus.

“I pull the trigger, but I don’t answer the phone,” he said. ”There will be somebody on the phone and we’ll discuss it. I’ll find out what the offer is and we’ll discuss it and determine if it was better for us. I don’t make those decisions by myself, but we’ll reach a consensus and I’ll be the one to say we’ll do it, but I want to know that everyone is in the boat.”

Ultimately Nix knows emotion cannot be a part of the decision making process, no matter what the subject is pertaining to draft day decisions. 

“I think patience is a big thing,” he said. ”You just can’t be knee jerk and impress people with a lot of moves and trades. You’ve got to have a goal in mind that you’re trying to reach. We’ve got nine picks and we’d like for all nine to improve your football team. If those nine make us a better team, then we’ve done our job.”

Best player at position of need

Bills GM Buddy Nix has not blindly said that Buffalo will take the best player on the board like most front office executives do this time of year. He took it a step further.

In an interview with Shredd and Ragan on 103.3 The Edge he explained the way they look at their board as the draft unfolds and closes in on their pick.

“Here’s the way we do it,” said Nix. ”If the guy that we think has value at number nine, the guy that’s good enough to be the number nine pick and it’s in a position of need for us, that’s the guy that we go after. If there’s not one in a need position that has a number nine value, then we go with the best player at that point, no matter what he plays.”

Most people are of the impression that offensive tackle, defensive tackle and quarterback are among Buffalo’s top needs. But if players at those positions that they feel are worthy of the number nine pick are no longer available when they’re on the clock, at that point they would take the best player available. Knowing there is likely to be an early run on offensive tackles the direction the Bills take at nine could change very quickly.

Regardless of what happens in front of Buffalo at nine, Nix was ready to make one promise.

“I can promise you this,” he said. ”We’ll be better come Saturday night about midnight.”

No talk on Roethlisberger

Despite the fact that there was speculation Wednesday that the Steelers were discussing Ben Roethlisberger’s availability with the Buffalo Bills, GM Buddy Nix disputed that in a late afternoon interview on 103.3 The Edge on the Shredd and Ragan show.

Nix was asked about the level of discussion concerning Roethlisberger with the Steelers and Nix, who had been in meetings all day up until the time of the radio interview. Here was his response to being asked about talks with the Steelers concerning their franchise QB.

“To be honest with you until (Bills VP of Communications) Scott (Berchtold) got me and we were walking up the steps, I had no idea that was going on,” said Nix. ”I have been in a meeting and I am trying to take care of our business.  Nobody has talked to me and I feel assured that there is nobody in this building that they have talked to.  So, you can put an end to that rumor.”

Here’s where you can hear the full interview.

The mocks are in

All the prognosticating is done and we have a rundown of the most popular picks for the Bills at ninth overall.

With special thanks to the Bills media relations department we’ve tracked 100 mock drafts from December 15, 2009 – April 21, 2010.  Here’s a breakdown of the selections made by 30 different media outlets and 45 different reporters, and what prospects were the most popular choices for Buffalo.

27 – Jimmy Clausen
25 – Bryan Bulaga
13 – Anthony Davis
12 – Dan Williams
10 – Trent Williams
3 – Sam Bradford
3 – CJ Spiller
1 – Derrick Morgan
1 – Rolando McClain
1 – Sergio Kindle
1 – Tim Tebow
1 – Bruce Campbell
1 – Charles Brown
1 – Russell Okung

Looks like my mock draft ran parallel to most of the masses as I had Bryan Bulaga to the Bills at nine. Of course I had Jimmy Clausen off the board already. I have Tennessee DT Dan Williams as the secondary choice for Buffalo. I also would not rule out Derrick Morgan or C.J. Spiller.

Draft nugget

Just found this draft fact interesting.

The Bills have drafted a player from the Big Ten conference in the first or second round five of the last six years.

Here they are in reverse order.
2009 – Aaron Maybin
2008 – James Hardy
2007 – Paul Posluszny
2006 – Donte Whitner
2004 – Lee Evans

There’s a chance it could happen again this year should a certain Iowa offensive tackle be on the board when the Bills are on the clock at nine.

Bills contacted about Big Ben

The Bills are one of a handful teams reportedly contacted by the Steelers as they inquire about interest in Ben Roethlisberger.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter however, the Bills aren’t interested. Here are his two latest twitter posts to that effect (see below).

Adam_Schefter Here are teams that Steelers have called about Roethlisberger: Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns.

Adam_Schefter Here are the known no’s on interest in Roethlisberger right now: Rams, Bills. Others might not be, just not known yet.

It really says something that the Steelers are willing to offer up Roethlisberger to a division opponent like Cleveland.

Looks like Roethlisberger’s off the field behavior is dropping his value like a stone.

At such a high profile position like quarterback off the field issues are magnified all the more.

Tebow to be at home for draft

NFL draft prospect Tim Tebow has decided not to attend the NFL draft in New York Thursday.

That according to NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora in his latest twitter post (see below).

JasonLaCanfora Tim Tebow will not attend the draft in NYC. He’s returning to Jacksonville but NFL Network will have a camera crew there with him.

So although Tebow will not be in NYC you can rest assured that wall to wall Tebow coverage during the draft will be in full effect on NFL Network.

Fred Jackson signing Wed. night

Bills RB Fred Jackson is signing autographs tonight (Wed.).

He’ll be at Bases Loaded sports collectibles Fred Jackson from 6PM – 8PM.

Bases Loaded is located on French Road in Cheektowaga.

Nix, Gailey on radio Wed.

Bills GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey will both be on the local airwaves Wed. morning.

Gailey will be on THE FAN 590 in Toronto at 7:40am to talk about the Bills Toronto Series with Buffalo to host the Bears as well as the draft.

Nix will appear on 97 Rock at 7:45 am with Norton in the Morning. He too will be assessing Buffalo’s schedule and the draft.

AFC East comes calling early

The Bills 2010 schedule will allow Chan Gailey’s to learn very quickly just how they measure up against their division opponents.
The Bills face all three of their AFC East rivals in the first month of the season.Miami comes to Buffalo for the opener marking the 30th anniversary of the game that broke the streak in 1980.

Then after a road date its an away date with the Pats in Week 3 and a home date against the Jets in Week 4.

Its a demanding first month of opponents for a team implementing new offensive and defensive schemes under a new coaching staff.

The players will have to be quick to assimilate. The good news is there won’t be a lot of game tape for their division opponents to prepare for, especially the Dolphins.

The difference a top OT can make

The debate can go on forever because there are equally good arguments on both sides of the QB vs. OT debate for the Bills at ninth overall. Many believe a QB can have a greater impact than an offensive tackle. With the ball in his hands on every play it’s hard to argue against that, but I’m going to take a shot at it.

The example I’ll use is Michael Oher. Taken 23rd overall last year, Oher had a huge impact on the offense’s effectiveness. Here’s a cross section of Baltimore’s improvement offensively with Oher added to their front line.

Oher played every snap (1,014 offensive plays) last season starting 11 games at right tackle and five at left tackle. His blocking helped the Ravens put up a franchise-record 22 rushing touchdowns (tied for most in the NFL) and Baltimore’s ground attack produced the fifth-most yards per game in the league (137.5).

The Ravens tied the franchise single-season record for points (391 in 1996) and set a team-record for touchdowns scored (47).  Baltimore was one of two teams to boast a 3,500-passer, a 1,300-yard rusher, and a 1,000-yard receiver and was one of three teams  to register over 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns on the year.  Oher, was also nominated for two Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week awards.

Now granted Oher’s team also had a solid defense, but offensively their best receiver was a veteran possession guy in Derrick Mason. Heck their leading receiver in terms of receptions was Ray Rice, so they weren’t having Joe Flacco chuck it down the field. Flacco went from 14 TDs and 12 INTs to 21 TDs and 12 INTs.

That’s not unlike the Bills situation with Lee Evans the only proven receiver and Fred Jackson capable of doing everything.

Oher wasn’t the only reason Baltimore’s offense was more productive, but he was a major factor.

I guess the way I look at it is a premier left tackle (if one is still there at 9) can do a lot to help an offense function better. And most Bills fans know the reason why Buffalo’s offense could not function was because blocking and protection on the edges were not up to snuff in 2009. Even the best QB in football would have trouble functioning behind a line that can’t consistently protect.

Still I respect the desire to take a QB at nine, if, and only if, you fully believe he is franchise caliber material.

George Wilson leadership retreat

Bills safety George Wilson is leading a group of youngsters in lessons about leadership, confidence and character this weekend.

It’s the 1st annual George Wilson S.A.F.E.T.Y. Foundation Leadership Retreat, which will run April 23-25 in Nashville, Tennessee. Wilson is taking school age kids from his native Kentucky.

The mission for Wilson’s foundation is Saving Adolescents From The Everyday Trials of Youth, the Leadership Retreat is the first program the foundation will host and was put in place to take kids from their everyday environment in order to expose them to something different. This will provide Wilson and camp instructors the opportunity to focus on leadership, confidence, and character through various activities. Middle school students from Paducah, Kentucky wrote essays to participate in the Leadership Retreat and 50 students were chosen.

“ I wanted the opportunity to take kids away from the video games, television, and computers in order to really get down to the core of what makes you successful in life, teamwork, self-esteem, great character, and the ability to be a leader,” said Wilson.