- Leo would remain the nickel back and the primary kick returner, just as McGee was early in his career. McGee is a starter no matter what.

- You’ve got the SLB position all wrong. Poz is in LESS space, and can be MORE aggressive outside. He’d have to do less in terms of coverage because in most nickel situations, he’d probably be off the field. This isn’t a sure thing, but I’m confident that Buffalo’s coaches are comfortable with Poz wherever he plays.

- No one is saying DE will be ignored. If you read Fewell’s comments, he seems pretty adamant about getting a speed guy there. If by “neglected” you mean “not our first round draft pick”, then that’s a possibility, but I don’t equate the two terms at all.

- Nor is anyone saying that if the Bills pass on a DE at 11 (which, to me, is still pretty unlikely), the pick would be Pettigrew. I think their board will be Orakpo, Brown, Maualuga, Maybin, Pettigrew – in that order. Laurinaitis might end up somewhere in there as well.

- I think if the Bills target an end in the third or fourth, they won’t be looking at another Chris Ellis-type pick. He’s not a speed rusher. I think Fewell is all about adding speed rushers right now. I think they’d target someone like your boy Phillip Hunt there.

if Buffalo is that quick to “replace” Fine, what does that tell you about the way they view the pick? Why was the pick made in the first place? If TE is their pick, I will be shocked more than I would be over any other pick (okay, not if they draft a smurf again at WR).

I tire of hearing how statistically significant our defense was last year. The ONLY reason that we improved on that side of the ball is because we played one of the crappiest, easiest schedules in the league.

We added one difference-maker last year in Stroud. We added another very solid starter in Mitchell, and a potentially great corner in McKelvin. How is that “pigging out” on defense? Obviously they did more defensively than offensively last year (where Hardy was the only significant addition), but it’s not like we went gung-ho for difference-making defenders outside of Stroud.

It’s crucial to improve the pass rush not because of our pass defense ranking, but because it takes a pass rush to create turnovers. Simple as that.

We could add all the defensive stars you can think of, but if the offense can’t score points we will likely be 5-11 next season given the tough schedule we face.

It’s not that simple. We could add all the OFFENSIVE stars we can think of, but it won’t matter unless Edwards makes significant strides. I’d rather add a piece or two (C, TE) offensively and really fortify the defense than add offensive players, maintain defensive mediocrity and still be dependent on Edwards’ growth. It’s all on Edwards either way; why not strive for a dominant unit somewhere while we wait for him to “get it”?

The D wasn’t significantly better last year. I made a post a month or so back comparing 2007 to 2008, and it wasn’t pretty. Simply put, we need a lot of defensive help still. But I agree the O is still a major work in progress, to be kind.

Please though, seeing “The D was getting the job done even without a pass rush” makes me cringes. The D was hardly getting the job done, and hasn’t for years now.

- Even if Greer is signed, McGee isn’t going anywhere. The whole point is that you can’t have enough good corners – a philosophy that Buffalo’s decision-makers believe in – and obviously, trading McGee is counter-productive to that philosophy.

- I haven’t given up on Sean Jones. What gave you that impression?

- Why is Maualuga a bad fit for our defense? He played in a zone-based 4-3 his entire career at USC! People see his weight and his 40 time and think “he’s not a fit here”, but it’s not true – he’s VERY familiar with our defense. If he shows well in the cone drills (which measure foot speed), it’s almost a lock in my mind that he’ll be Buffalo’s pick. If he has the foot speed, he’ll be able to cover in our scheme. He’s already got terrific instincts and the ability to make big plays.

- Maybin is growing on me too, but I personally hate the idea of drafting a DE to play OLB in a 4-3 scheme. I’d rather the Bills just use him as a pass rushing specialist while having him hit the weights if he’s our top pick.

Sorry kry, I don’t agree with the trade McGee sentiment. If we don’t sign Greer, how is that any different than trading McGee, depthwise? And even if we do resign Greer, I’m not sure the CB depth is that amazing! Last year, everyone was saying the same thing, and look how that turned out because of injuries and whatnot. Guys like McGee, Greer and Youboty just seem to be hurt a lot or susceptible to injury, so we need as many CB’s as possible. Plus, I’m not ready to count on Reggie Corner for anything. He looked pretty awful this past year. Even in that Denver game, where he “played well”, he was always a step late. I’m against trading McGee at all costs!!!!

Peter King over at SI was calling him Ray Lewis Jr. Not that I respect Peter King’s opinion that much, but it’s piqued my interest.

- This article is about what I think the Bills will do, and I can get behind it.

- I’ve always thought Whitner is the safety we should complement. Just because I write articles trashing his playmaking ability doesn’t mean I think he should be riding the pine. Whitner’s a good player and can be part of an excellent defense.

- Moving Poz isn’t a top priority, it’s merely an option.

He was projected at 4.75 going in. When/how did he get hurt?

It’s possible, but I don’t think it’s likely. I don’t think they’re looking to bring in a defensive leader as much as they are an offensive leader (hence the Fred Taylor visit), and Brown’s skills are beyond diminished. I doubt they’ll be interested.

He is an upgrade over Royal but I don’t think he’s the answer… unless the question is “Who did the Jets just release?”

I didn’t think your draft was all that horrifying, Ron…

Well, you know I like a certain safety (Sean Jones). But in terms of what the Bills are thinking, clearly they value depth at cornerback – they did bring in four of them last year, and now they’re trying to re-sign Greer. Obviously, they value corner over safety.

In fact I would sign Greer and trade Mcgee while we can get something for him.
and sign Sean Jones

well with respect to signing CB’s – we will probably lose McGee next year and possibly get to sign Youboty (I think he’s a FA next year too).

they like the depth and no reason to put ourselves in a predicament next year if we can sign Greer this year.

sign haynesworth to whatever he wants.

if we can’t afford him in the future – we can cut him and save some cap space if the contracts put together in a way that would allow that.

stroud/haynesworth = about 30 yards rushing up the middle for the year

Then what do we do with the 2 guys (K. Williams and S. Johnson) we gave 5 year contracts to last offseason, totaling $32M??

What would you do with Kyle Williams in that scenario?

I don’t know, I’m not convinced by the logic of this, though I could get behind where I think you’re headed. I’m happy with Stroud/Williams/Johnson, and don’t think we need to do anything drastic to fill that fourth spot. McCargo’s not the answer.

I hear “Johnson at DE” a lot, but I don’t like it at all. He’s not an end in any scheme. He gives us nothing more than a block-occupying presence on the edge.

I disagree with that, too. Johnson’s fine as a rotational DT, and he’s cheaper than Tank. Seriously, what’s wrong with the trio of Stroud, Williams and Johnson? That’s as dependable a group as you can get.

If we find a fourth that has a complementary skill set to the first three (read: a run-stuffer), we’re doing great at this position. I don’t understand the need for an overhaul, and doubt it will be addressed unless it’s with an unheralded free agent or Raji is available at 11.

I’ll just go ahead and disagree with this one too. One player isn’t worth $35 million guaranteed and releasing half of your D-Line rotation.

So now you’ve got two screen names to hate on Posluszny with, eh?

19 career games ain’t a heck of a lot of playing time. He’s been solid. I think you’re expecting a lot out of the kid – he’s playing a new position in a new defense, for the love of pete. Let him grow, and talk to me in a year if you still think he sucks.