Don't try to pigeon hole the Buffalo Bills as a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. 

Now that defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is pulling the strings for the Bills, expect a lot of the same that we saw from him with the Jets: a mix of both fronts, a lot of nickel packages and a game plan-specific defense (via BuffaloBills.com).

The Bills spent years building toward a 3-4 defense, but switched to a 4-3 scheme last season under defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt. The result is a mix of players that can play different roles depending on the front.

Most of the players have their roots in the 4-3 defense, but some—such as linebacker Manny Lawson and nose tackle Marcell Dareus—come from, and have excelled in, a 3-4 defense. Almost every player, though, has experience in both fronts—for better or worse.

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With Buddy Nix stepping down on Monday, the Bills announced Doug Whaley as their new general manager at a press conference on Wednesday.

This completes a slow offseason build toward a brand new infrastructure. In January, owner Ralph Wilson stepped out of the day-to-day operations and promoted Russ Brandon to team president. The coaching staff was completely turned over, as well

Thus, this truly looks like a brand new era of Bills football. What do we know about that new era now that we didn't know before?

Whaley's Steelers influence

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What started out as a six-man battle royale for the New York Jets starting quarterback spot is down to four before the start of training camp.

First, the Jets informed Tim Tebow that he had been released. Second, veteran quarterback David Garrard on Wednesday told two players that he would no longer be with the Jets (according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

Garrard's stat line sets the tone for his career as a serviceable but unspectacular quarterback, with a career 61.6 completion percentage, 7.02 YPA and 85.8 passer rating, but despite two years away from football with back and leg injuries, he was seen as a legitimate candidate for the Jets starting job. 

At 35 years old, though, there was never a chance of him being the long-term answer for the Jets at quarterback. 

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As the quarterback goes, so goes the offense. That's why, although the Miami Dolphins have done all they can to take the pressure off of quarterback Ryan Tannehill and make his job easier, they've also subsequently raised the expectations around their second-year signal-caller.

But are those expectations too high?

If you're looking at just the stats, Tannehill was one of the six worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL in terms of passer rating and one of the 10 worst in completion percentage. He threw 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and was one of just five starters (along with Matt Cassel, Brandon Weeden, Mark Sanchez and Jake Locker) to throw more interceptions than touchdowns last year.

Company like that and numbers like that from Tannehill in 2013 will not cut it.

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It looks like the Buffalo Bills saved their biggest front office shake-up for the slowest period in the NFL offseason.

General manager Buddy Nix announced on Monday morning that he would be stepping down as the GM and transitioning to a role as an assistant (via the Bills official Twitter account).

It was reported months ago that assistant general manager Doug Whaley would have an increased role within the organization, though that has not yet been confirmed by the team. Nix will still be involved but in a lesser capacity as an assistant. That will be music to some Bills fans' ears.

So, what will change with Nix stepping into a lesser role and, presumably, Whaley stepping in as GM? Probably not much, to be frank. Whaley has learned under Nix, so he will probably carry similar philosophies as a general manager. Likewise, Nix's presence—and thereby, his influence—will still be felt around Orchard Park, as he will still be an assistant.

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When it comes to the NFL draft, Bill Belichick often uses the buzzword "value" to explain his picks. With his recent history of targeting prospects from specific programs, it's clear that the opinions of people he trusts—be it players or coaches within his circle—factor into his concept of value.

The New England Patriots drafted cornerback Logan Ryan, safety Duron Harmon and linebacker Steve Beauharnais, and signed undrafted free-agent cornerback Brandon Jones just after the draft, bringing their total of Rutgers players on the roster up to six.

What is it about Rutgers players that Belichick is so fascinated by?

Beauharnais showed that he already has the classic Patriots non-answers down, saying, "I don’t know. You’d have to ask the Patriots for that reason but obviously there’s something they see in us that they do like."

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Sometime during quarterback Geno Smith's long and stressful wait to be drafted, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers sent him a conciliatory message on Twitter:

Smith should take that draft day advice and apply it to his future as a starting NFL quarterback. He may not earn it immediately, but it will happen when the time is right.

Now that the New York Jets have drafted him, they should also heed those words. There's no need to rush him onto the field.

Four years ago, the Jets were breaking in their new franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez. Several bad decisions were made, both on the field by Sanchez and the coaching staff, and off the field by the Jets front office. Ultimately, Sanchez's development went down the tubes.

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The Miami Dolphins have done everything they can to make sure that Ryan Tannehill is as productive as he can be. That is, except for one very important thing: protecting him with a solid offensive line.

One look at their depth chart reveals a harrowing hole in what would otherwise be considered a solid offensive roster. 

Signing former Atlanta Falcons right tackle Tyson Clabo, as reported by Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, does not provide a salve for the issue, but it does have the potential to relieve some of the symptoms and side effects of Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland's ignorance of the offensive line this offseason.

Clabo has experience in both a man and zone-blocking scheme, but the Falcons ran primarily a power-blocking system. That being said, Clabo himself mentioned he was coached by Alex Gibbs, the founder of the zone-blocking scheme, so he should be very familiar with what he'll be asked to do for the Dolphins.

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