High Mark

Are you kidding? I dont think you understand just how much money we have to spend. The Skins just signed Albert, Hall, and Dock to total of almost 190 million dollars. They had 8 MILLION in cap room going into the off season. We had something like 37 million. We would sign everyone and their mother and still be well below the cap. We are not going to spend that 6.2 mil you would save on the cap hit, Ralph is going to take it to the grave.

O come on, you guys are ripping on him for getting the INT. The reason there is film of this coverage is because of the pick. If Farve took a sack, Greer still would have had excellent coverage on the WR. Greer covers guys like this all the time but you wouldn't notice it because its never thrown his way.

Hopefully he has been double dosing the juice over his year suspension and comes back in top form.

My prediction for #1 is Raji. Detroits new coach will focus on the lines. They took an OT last year, and the OT class this year is a much deeper class than the DT class. Pair Raji with Redding would be a big improvment. He will try to recreate Haynesworth in Detroit with Raji.

if we added Jenkins, then maybe, just maybe, our DBs could cover long enough for even Kelsay to get a sack.

I did try to put some emphasis on the skill of the players, but not too much. Most teams traditionally will pass on a position that is deep for one that is not if they are forced to choose. The 2006 draft for example was pretty deep at TE. Vernon Davis, Marcedes Lewis, Joe Klopfenstein, Anthony Fasano, Tony Scheffler, Leonard Pope, David Thomas, Dominique Byrd, and Owen Daniels. I dont recognize a few of those names, but only two, Vernon Davis and Marcedes Lewis, were taken before pick 42. 4 were taken between 42 and 75. This years class seems to have more players being high round two guys than late round two, but from what I saw with the trends it seems that one should defiantly be there. I will pay attention to how the draft pans out and how my predictions hold up.

I dont think the economy will recover once a few football players salaries are reduced. But honestly, if the market supports it who cares, if the market cannot, then the slaries will naturally come down with the market. Its simple economics really.

Poz was the only one on the team this year that consistantly tackled. Everytime you looked over it was Poz buried in a pile of defenders who jumped on him after he made the tackle. I think he was our best defensive player this year.

Thinking to myself that teams must have a plan for the draft and not just go into it with a “we will see who’s there” mentality, I started to develop a strategy for the Bills. Uniquely, I looked at it in reverse, from round 3 up to round 1. This year I feel there are 5-6 good centers who I would like to see us grab, Mack, Unger, Wood, Luigs, Caldwell, and maybe Shipley. On the safe side say there are 5 centers available. That means that when the Bills pick in the 3rd (pick #75), a center must be drafted once in every 15 picks on average for all the quality prospects to be off the board –very unlikely according to history, here is the last five years. The year corresponds to that draft; the first number is the total number of centers taken in that draft, the second is the number of centers taken before pick 42 - our 2nd round pick, the third is the number of centers taken before the 75th pick - our third. ’04 – 9 – 0 - 1 ’05 – 8 - 2 - 2 ’06 – 9 – 1 - 3 ’07 – 6 - 0 - 2 ’08 – 6 – 0 - 1 I did the same for the TEs as well. I see 4 quality starters in this draft, Pettigrew, Cook, Nelson, and Coffman. For all 4 to be gone before our 2nd round pick, one player would have to be drafted in every 10- again not likely. Here is the history, the numbers are aligned the same as before. ’04 - 16 - 3 – 5 ’05 - 9 - 1 - 2 ’06 - 16 - 2 - 6 ’07 - 13 - 2 - 2 ’08 - 15 - 2 - 4 So if you take the general pattern at how players at certain positions are taken, and factor in the skill of this draft class, I would expect 2-3 TEs drafted before pick 42 – leaving the Bills to take the 4th on the list – likely Nelson or Coffman because of injury. I then predict there to have been 2-3 centers drafted before pick 75, likely leaving Wood/Caldwell, Luigs, and Shipley on the board. That takes us to round 1. Being able to count on filling the TE and C needs in 2/3, the Bills are left with DL/LB as the two main needs left. In this situation they can simply take the BPA at either those positions or another if they see fit. I think one of these guys are likely to fall to 11 - Brown, Orakpo, Maybin, Cushing, Maleuga, and in wishful thinking Raji and Curry. If they do not, I am confident enough that rounds 2/3 will go well, and would be ok with the Bills reaching for a pass rush. Guys like Barwin or Johnson are bigger risks at 11 but have high ceilings. I gotta throw in a plug for Nic Harris in round 4- hopefully there and he coverts to LB. I feel this is a very realistic plan for the Bills to pursue. I know most of you on here would be thrilled if the Bills came out of the draft with Brown, Coffman, Wood/Caldwell. You are welcome Russ.

Did anyone notice that we are the only team to have a sponsor for out 50th.... and that the sponsors logo is bigger than both of the Bills logos. Thats a new level of cheap.

I know he wont play S in the NFL, I want him at LB. I think he will be a stud. A cato June type but better

My guess is they see him as a dt for the Bills, not a DE. He coudlnt be worse than Kelsay however.

Another guy who we may not be able to get because of our draft position. 11 seems too high for him but he wont be around in the second. The more I think about it, I am totally cool with reaching for the best DL in rd 1, then targeting the top c/te's in rds 2 and 3. Nic Harris in round 4 would be icing on the cake.

Gordo... any chance Haynesworth/Brown/some one good still comes to visit?

My mock draft. This is not how I think it will go but how I want it to go. 1-Raji 2-Everette Brown 3-Pettigrew 4-Curry 5-Taylor Mays (yes we draft him now through a non-exstant loophole, he plays in '10) 6-Alex Mack 7- Shane Falco Undrafted -Me. Thats right, the Bills sign me as an undrafted FA and I turn into the Best QB/player/coach in football history.

The reason the good teams are good is because of how positional players are valued, I think thats what the author of the post is try to say. Look at the O-line. The O line is arguably the second most important part of a team behind QB. Yet even with its high impoprtance, the only O lineman with value in the top 20 slots of the draft is a potential "franchise LT" That s only ONE PLAYER on a teams roster. So all of the future pro bowl centers, gaurds, and RTs fall to the dominant teams drafting at the end of the first round. Not to mention that for every Joe Thomas that comes out, there is a Mike Williams. A team that has already found its LT, can sit in the back of the first round and build a dominant O line year after year after year. Then you get an O like the Pats of 07 where all the credit goes to Brady and Moss, but no one mentions the fact that the pats have been drafting all lineman in the first for 8 years.

Ok? Neither guy really said anything, they could have the same opinion on Myabin. Mayock said Maybin would be better in a 3-4, which is understandable. Polian said that Maybin COULd play DE. Neither said he couldnt do one or the other. Polian didnt say he is better in the 4-3, he may think he would be better in a 3-4. There is nothinig behind this.

Just because he turned out to be a good pick does not make it the best possible pick. By your line of thought if we are not content with Reed as our number two then we have to draft DHB or Crabtree and pass on the DL. How often do the Pats or Steelers use first round picks on WRs? How often do they use them on lineman? I like Evans and am glad we were able to retain him, but a DL who can get double digit sacks are year is a better pick than a WR who can score 10 TD's a year regardless of need. What I am trying to say is a team is built from the lines back. If you dont have the lines set, then drafting skill players is a waste. Untill the Bills build their lines, they will not be good.

If the Bills are planning on resigning such a terrible QB, they should consider signing me. I can throw interceptions, fumble, and get sacked no worse than he could, and I would do it for league min.

QB: Shane Falco RB: Tomlinson FB: Shouman WR: EVANS, REED TE: Pete Metzelars LT: Not PETERS LG: A turnstile C: Preston LG: BUTLER RG: WALKER DT: STROUD DT: WILLIAMS DE: SCHOBEL DE: Lattimore from the program LB TRIO: POZ, MITCHELL, Danny Bateman CB 1 and 2: MCGEE and McLovin' FS: Ronald McDonald SS: Captain Facebook K: Me P: MOORMAN

The drafting of guys like DHB are how the Bills got to the possition they are in. In '04 the Bills took Lee Evans passing on guys like Tommie Harris, Shawn Andrews, Will Smith, Wince Wilfork, and Chris Snee. In '05 the Bills took Parrish in the second rd (no 1st), and passed on Justin Tuck -- on a side note, I just notice Duke Preston was taken 2 spots before Jason Brown-- Pro Bowl lineman are more important than a Pro Bowl WR any way you look at it. Couple that with the fact those guys are a. a speedster/deep threat who has not been a dominant #1 for a variety of reasons, and b. a good punt returner, not Pro Bowl players, and Id say stick to the Big men.

I did not know Freeney was that short. Brown plays a lot like Freeney, is very quick and powerful. I think he can play at that height without a problem if Freeney can.

We took Parrish in the second round. He has pretty much been a gimmick guy/punt returner. We then resigned a pure punt returner to a huge extension. Pat White is the same guy, most likely better, coming out of college. All of that is without his ability to play some QB. Mayock seems to be right on with his value assesment... as long as the Bills are drafting I guess.

I just cannot understand why the coaches have not tried to get Poz and Digi on the field at the same time. Both can play inside or out. When Crowell was put on IR, they both should have been penciled in as starters. I know Digi got injured later in the year, on special teams I believe, but before that there is no feasible reason not to put him on the field over Ellison, especially when a coach admits that Poz could play outside.

I never really like to use measurables as a reason not to draft someone. I figured if they could get it done on the field the rest was iceing on the cake. But Everette Brown is only 6'2''. Just how short is too short to be effective as a DE? This is the 11th pick so we should expect to get a 3 down player not a situational guy. Does this mean we look at guys like Shaughnessy, Kruger, Johnson, Barwin, or Ayers in the second? It seems like such a small difference, but I couldnt think of many successful three down ends that play at that height.