Race to #1: Buffalo Bills
By Editorial Staff
We have completed 6 weeks in the NFL season and while things on the top are a little uncertain we have some teams clearly in the running for the #1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Right now there are two winless teams and they are the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills and a few teams with 1 loss. I will look at a few things from each team. First I will look their chances to land the #1 overall pick, then I will talk about what they might do with that pick, after that I will talk about the state of each franchise. Look for this series of articles to continue as we move closer to naming the winner (loser) of the #1 overall pick! Be sure to check out our team needs page!
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Chances for the #1 Pick: High
- The Bills are in a very good position to land the #1 overall pick. When I look at their remaining schedule I really only see 3 games that they have a legit shot at winning. The games are Oct. 31st @ KC, Nov. 14th vs Detroit, Dec 12th vs Cleveland. The Bills have to play a lot of division games in the tough AFC East and they would not be favored to win any of those games. The Kansas City game is a tough one because the jury is still out on them but as it stands now I would say that the Bills are likely to loose that game. Detroit has played much better this season and have faced a tough schedule. If I was a betting man, and I am, I would bet that the Lions will get the victory. Now this leaves only 1 opportunity for a victory. The Cleveland game presents the best opportunity because the Browns offense isn’t very effective and the Bills have a chance to outscore them. Either way you look at the schedule you cannot feel good about the Bills chances of winning many games.
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How will the Bills use the top pick?
- To me this is an easy answer and that is they need to select a quarterback. The answer to this question is easy but a few factors may impact the direction the Bills go. The top factor is what underclassmen declare for the draft, this is important because our top rated quarterback, Andrew Luck, is only a redshirt Sophomore. However, Senior Jake Locker has been in the discussion for the top pick since early in the season and very well still could be the #1 overall pick. If the Bills don’t go quarterback I think they need to find a way to trade out of the #1 spot, however difficult that may be. They could use help at the wide out position but at #1 the only player they could consider is AJ Green and he might face the same situation as Lee Evans, nobody to throw him the ball!
State of the Franchise
- If I was a Bills fan I wouldn’t feel good in the direction my team is going. Their offensive line needs improving, (especially at the tackle spot) they only have Lee Evans at wide receiver, we addressed the quarterback spot, and the running backs are solid. On the defensive side of the ball I would only feel good about Jarius Byrd. With that being said they could get a nice piece of the puzzle by selecting a quarterback with the #1 pick. I also feel good that they didn’t use a 2nd round pick on Jimmy Clausen because they have a chance to get someone much better this year.