The NFL schedule-makers have spoken, confirming what any objective Buffalo fan already

knew: The Bills have become a national afterthought, a dull and dreary irrelevancy, barely

worthy of viewers' attention.

All 16 games are slated for 1 p.m. next season. That's great if you're looking for an early

dinner, or if you hate those late deadlines. But it means the TV folks see the Bills as a bad

team and an even worse show.

Can you blame them? The Bills are the worst team in the AFC East. They're bad and boring, a

lethal combination in TV land. They have no compelling players who drive the ratings. It's

also why I could see them taking an ill-advised run at Tim Tebow to spike interest at the box

office.

Go ahead, name a genuine star on the current roster. I'll save you some time. There are

none. You could make an argument — OK, I'm making it — that there's not a player

on the team who is among the Top 10 in the league at his position. Except the punter.

Jairus Byrd made the Pro Bowl last year and tied for the league lead in interceptions. But

he was a rookie who struggled against the run and isn't yet among the elite safeties.

Lee Evans? Not after the season he had a year ago. Terrence McGee? Not quite. Aaron Schobel

is now a linebacker and pondering retirement.

The Bills are a team with a lot of holes, a team still reeling from a decade of dubious

draft picks and trades. They need playmakers at almost every critical position. They need

depth. They need linebackers, defensive and offensive linemen, a franchise quarterback, at

least one viable wide receiver.

"We've got nine picks," said Buddy Nix, the rookie general manager. "We need to hit on all

nine, and that's hard to do sometimes. We've got holes to fill. We've got some good players,

but we need more depth and we will use every avenue to fill those holes."

At least Nix is being honest. When he was hired as GM, he said the Bills weren't that far

away. But he knows they're not close, either. You can't miss on top picks year after year, as

the Bills have done, and claim to be on the fringes of contention.

It seems we say this every year, but the Bills desperately need to hit some home runs in

the draft, which begins in prime time tonight with the first round. They need to find impact

players who will become starters and help return the franchise to true contender status.

This will be Tom Modrak's ninth year running the draft. Byrd is the only Bill drafted

during that time to be voted to the Pro Bowl as a position player. McGee went as a kick

returner, Marshawn Lynch and Willis McGahee as injury replacements.

Modrak had a decent draft a year ago, getting Byrd, Eric Wood and Andy Levitre. But there

are still big questions about Aaron Maybin, their first pick. Nix, who is respected as a good

judge of football talent, can't afford to miss in his first draft as a GM.

Nix made a lot of sense at last week's draft luncheon, warning us not to assume anything

about the Bills' intentions at No. 9 overall.

"Don't get us pinned down and don't get yourself pinned down thinking it's got to be this

position or this position," Nix said, "because it may not be. If the guys we think can make

that impact at nine are not there, then we are going to take the best player on the board. And

man, I'm telling you, it might be a defensive guy."

I like the sound of that. The Bills have too many needs to limit themselves. Sure, they

need an offensive tackle. They need a quarterback. But they shouldn't take the fourth-best

tackle just to fill a need. They have a desperate need for playmakers on a defense that has

been suspect for years. They keep a lot of games close, but the run defense is horrid and they

don't punish teams or put enough pressure on quarterbacks.

This is considered one of the deepest drafts in years, partly because 53 underclassmen came

out early (11 defensive linemen). There are a lot of defensive studs in this class, which is

being compared to the quarterback class of 1983 in terms of defensive talent.

The Bills are going to a 3-4 defense under Chan Gailey. They need impact defenders. If the

top offensive tackles are gone, and they don't take a quarterback, the Bills will likely go

defense with their first pick. Dan Williams, the best potential nose tackle, would be a good

pick. So would Rolando McClain, a dynamic linebacker, or Derrick Morgan, a defensive end.

"We believe the way you build a football team is by putting as many good players as you

can, stacking them on top of each other and let them compete," Nix said. "We want to get a

great football player in the first two rounds."

Get great players, regardless of position, and watch things fall into place. That's what

the Bills have failed at consistently for the past decade. Get players who will be in the

league for a decade and make Pro Bowls.

Nix talks a good game. Let's see how he does when he runs his first draft at age 70. There

are some shrewd operators in the AFC East. In what's being billed the deepest draft in many

years, is it any surprise that the Patriots have four of the first 53 picks?

This should be a fascinating draft. Like most teams, the Bills are playing it close to the

vest. It'll be interesting to see how Nix deviates from the prevailing wisdom in the draft

world. If he's going to reach, he'd better be sure of himself. The consequences of a bad reach

are all over the roster.

After years of futility, the Bills' personnel department doesn't get the benefit of the

doubt. But maybe Nix will finally put them on the right track with the sort of smart, decisive

draft that was typical of the Chargers when he was working in San Diego.

Maybe Nix has a franchise quarterback in mind, someone he feels is better than the experts

say. Rumors have him moving up for Tim Tebow. If so, he'd better be dead certain. The Bills

can't afford that sort of gamble right now. It's the kind of move that got them into their

current sad situation. But when you have a dull product, there's always pressure to create a

fresh spectacle to excite the fans.

Nix says he's never been the smartest guy in the room. Today, that has to change. The smart

GM is concerned with making the best picks on draft day, not the biggest splash.