So I'm developing some things we actually know about the Bills, but I need the help of everyone. I'm going to put down some simple facts about what the Bills have and need, and you tell me what to change. My hope would be that by the offseason, we can feel pretty confident about what we want the new guy in charge to do.

Before we begin, does anyone have a respectable site that keeps NFL players under contract per team we could link here? Something like the almost incomparable NHLnumbers.com?

1. The Bills need to get a No. 1 quarterback in the offseason.

2. The Bills need to get a left tackle in the offseason.

3. The Bills need to get two new starting linebackers, or one and a respected veteran No. 4 (Let alone if they make the switch to 3-4. Goodness, me).

4. The following starters can absolutely continue to start next year (if they stay 4-3):
CB- Terrence McGee
S- Jairus Byrd
DT- Marcus Stroud
DT- Kyle Williams
DE- Aaron Schobel
CB- Leodis McKelvin
RB- Fred Jackson
G- Eric Wood
G- Andy Levitre
C- Geoff Hangartner
RT- Brad Butler
WR- Lee Evans
TE- Shawn Nelson
K- Rian Lindell
P- Brian Moorman
LS- Garrison Sanborn

5. The following starters or contributors are probably fall too far down on the "priority to find someone better" list:
LB- Kawika Mitchell
LB- Paul Posluszny
WR3- Josh Reed (UFA)
TE2- Derek Schouman
DT3- Spencer Johnson

6. If the Bills had better linebackers, or even a relatively healthy corps of linebackers, this defense would be adequate against the run. So start there in free agency.

(Linebacker is my favorite position -- during freshman football at Kenmore East, I wanted to be Chris Spielman or Chris Slade (seriously) -- so let me opine here. I really wanted the Bills to sign Demeco Ryans, but the Texans offered him Top-Five linebacker money in February and he declined. He's had a not-so-elite season this year. The list of free agent linebackers is extremely respectable/intriguing: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/fa/lb.html).

7. Time to say goodbye. You don't have to leave the league, but you gotta get out of here (via trade, release or walking). Good luck:
CB- Ashton Youboty
OL- Seth McKinney
QB- Trent Edwards
RB- Marshawn Lynch (Fine for the field, not for the locker room)

(EDIT NOTE: There has been a lot of reaction to this Lynch comment, so I'd love to clarify. I've loved Lynch as a running back up until this year, where he's been inconsistent. I used to love his personality, which was considered private and quirky up until some incidents made him look like private is just cold. He's still young (23), but is he good enough talent-wise to get past the fact that he's one mistake away from being suspended for a half-season or worse? Those are the things worth talking about. I don't understand for a minute the sentiment that Jackson is more talented, or that Lynch wouldn't run for 1,250 yards somewhere else. He's better than McGahee, and Willis put up 1,438 total yards and eight touchdowns his first year in Baltimore. You can navigate a bad offensive line as a QB. Not-so-much a RB).

LT- Jonathan Scott
WR- Roscoe Parrish
DT- John McCargo

8. FYI: Potential UFAs: DE Ryan Denney, OLB Chris Draft, S Todd Johnson, OG Seth McKinney, WR ­Terrell Owens, WR Josh Reed, S-LB Bryan Scott.
Potential RFAs: OLB Keith Ellison*, TE Derek Schouman, OT Jonathan Scott, S George Wilson*, CB Ashton Youboty*.
(courtesy Pro Football Weekly)

Order of importance:
1. Reed
2. Schouman (provided he's healed right. Scary injury).
3. Draft (depth)
4. Denney (depth)

Anyone else is debatable. There is nothing universal about discussing Owens' potential role in 2010.

9. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick is an acceptable back-up quarterback.

10. (Your comment here)...

Email: nick@wgr550.com