shoretalk

Got me too

Gaither has an injured foot ... he's been moved to RT ... he has an attitude problem ... he will be a FA after this season ... he may have a weight issue too. So, for the naysayers ... if our LT's fail us miserably and we don't win any games (your ultimate fantastic dream season) then we get to pick Mel Kiper's #1 QB and ... Gaither will be out on the FA market. If we make the trade w/o him signing a long term contract then it is not even worth a #3 pick. If he signs and then his injury or weight or attitude keep him from playing then do we draft an LT next year after the ultimate dream guaranteed to succeed QB? If we sign him and make the trade ... give up a #2 and maybe a player (Roscoe) and he doesn't pan out then who do we blame? Bell had one good game at LT to start the season when we had an OL w/o injuries. Then everyone started getting hurt. Does he have potential? Maybe. Does every single rookie OL make more than their share of mistakes/penalties? Yes ... Did Bell do anything worse than any other first year LT? I don't think so. So Bell might be ready ... Wang is certainly motivated ... or maybe Gaither but not at too steep a price. And, is anyone surprised that Adam is contradicting himself one more time?

Oh no ... someone who worships the Madden ratings ... do you have a special room dedicated to Mel Kiper too? Madden ratings in the month of May for players who have never played a single down in the NFL are a pure joke. Of course all of us wish that the Bills were a better team to play with in a computer game ... but seriously ...

Cry ... a combination of factors starting with Coach Dick's philosophy of not trying to win to the poor training regimine that resulted in more injuries per year that any other team in the league ... to quarterbacks who were either held back by their coaches thoughts on offense or their own inabilities ... and on and on we go. But, we never threw downfield with any regularity even though we had TO and Evans. 2010 ... a new decade begins ... time to move on ... Josh Reed could block with the best of them ... we have this new young corps of receivers and a coach who believes in winning with his offense. And, we have some new trainers who just might keep the Bells of this world healthy enough to see if what we saw in last year's opener is a reflection of a talent at LT or not. GO BILLS!

Anyone find any highlight video on him? Links?

81 Easley, Marcus WR 6-2 207 22 R Connecticut 83 Evans, Lee WR 5-10 197 29 7 Wisconsin 84 Hardy, James WR 6-5 220 24 2 Indiana 15 Huggins, Felton WR 6-2 186 27 1 Southeastern Louisia 17 Jackson, Chad WR 6-1 223 25 3 Florida 13 Johnson, Steve WR 6-2 202 23 3 Kentucky 19 Jones, Donald WR 6-0 214 22 R Youngstown State 86 Nelson, David WR 6-5 217 23 R Florida 11 Parrish, Roscoe WR 5-9 178 27 6 Miami - TRADED or CUT 18 Roosevelt, Naaman WR 6-0 189 R UB - PS Ok, let the doomsaying start ... these guys are inexperienced but once again the unknown factor is the Gailey one. He is going to call the plays; his neck will be on the line each week if we don't produce offensively; his teams usually move the ball; and it looks like our running game is going to draw the attention of defenses. I cannot imagine Roscoe making this team. Gailey repeatedly talks about both mental and physical toughness and the only touchness I can see from Roscoe is his mouth. We now have a stockpile of punt returners although I doubt any will be what Roscoe was for that one beautiful season of returns. Hardy is the great unknown. He has shown nothing to the fans but there is an implication from One Bills' Drive that he can be a player worthy of his #2 pick. I have him making the team but he also could be a suprise cut if he fails to meet the Gailey mental and physical toughness requirements. All that being said, I see the potential of these receivers to become something special. Easley's pick made me scratch my head but I have watched his highlights a few times now and come away really impressed. The same holds true for Nelson. I have always liked what Steve Johnson does when the ball is thrown his way but it seemed that Dick didn't want to give him a chance. I am a Lee Evans' fan ... we just need a quarterback who can get him the ball. I would love to see Naaman make the team but there is no doubt that he makes the PS. Huggins may make the team based on ST play but his spot could go to Roosevelt. TO is still out there ... so if none of these guys pan out who knows. These receivers seem to have size, football speed after the catch, the ability to catch the ball in tough situations, and they seem to be quality "character" guys (I know ... who cares as long as they score). Now, let's see which of the four QB's is in there and whether they can throw more than the DICK philosophy of 4-6 yard passes even when it's 3rd and 10.

I am sorry ... but until Mel Kiper says who the Bills 'MUST PICK' is I just am unable to make up my mind. And, even Mel doesn't start picking them this early because outstanding college juniors sometimes slip back in their senior year. It's funny but I remember just a couple of years ago there was this incredible junior quarterback whose play almost guaranteed he would be picked first among quarterbacks with a solid pro career ahead of him ... he was a LOCK! Everyone who saw him play ... let me see ... I think it was for Louisville ... as a junior were dreaming that he'd be their team's next Brady (oh wait, Brady wasn't a number one pick .. whatever, I digress) but something happened his senior year that pushed him back in the draft. I wonder if he has had the chance to live up to his junior potential ... let me see ... Brian ... Brian Brohm. Frankly, I want this team to play its guts out ... surprise everyone and with Coach Chan putting in some creative offense that is based on a play the entire game to win and with our decent defense ... give me the playoffs not dreams of some junior sensation quarterback that we sacrifice the future for ...

I so agree with you ... something is terribly wrong because the reality of the world we live in has resulted in those spouting foul langauge in public forums just laughing it off when reminded that civil folks might be offended ... the inability for all too many people to have a conversation without invectives being spewed towards those who are not in the speakers/writers' own image of perfection ... the disappearance of sincere apologies or understanding when the line has been crossed ... and the total lack of respect for those with differences or disagreements with our point of view. Calling out the "morality police" is just verification that there are all too many individuals who cherish the opportunity to wish harm on others. It is truly a sad day when more than one member of our society truthfully wishes another person to be injured or harmed just because they failed to produce as a football player for their team or as an elected politician for our State or Nation. You say that this verbage isn't happening outside this forum but talk radio has vitalized it and I am hearing more and more people speak it out loud. Would be great to see this forum's contributors show more respect for each other ... but I will never respect or honor opinions that center on wishing harm to others or whose primary language skillset utilizes words of hate or words that most of us would refrain from saying in community settings where children and young people are present.

It is true that we need to reestablish the honor of a contract. To me this should be a mandate of the negotiations between the league and the players. All too many people who criticize the draft say that in the "real world" we can go wherever we want to go to work. Well, that is partially true but if we want to work for a specific corporation or in a specialized industry or say for the government then we have to accept their places of work and salary. No one forces these players to play in the National Football League. They can choose Canada or some other sports venue or perhaps work in another industry while still playing football in a semi-pro league. Not every journalist graduate gets picked up by a national newspaper and then tells their employer what their working conditions will be ... some end up working at WalMart and writing a blog. So, if these young men want to play for this specific industry they will have to follow the industry's rules, which have been established to even out the competitive advantages for employment through the salary cap. Those who are brand new to this employment venue should have a pre-set base salary, in essence a rookie salary structure. This would allow them to get to work right away without trying to creatively get a few more dollars than those picked before them. In this structure would be work incentive bonuses and salary elevators for the initial contract period that I would make for 3 or 4 years. Like teachers before tenure is earned or other jobs with probationary learning periods at this point in their initial working years there would be no guarantees of contracts being paid if they are laid off (cut) before the end of the contract's term. Making 'All Rookie" or "All Pro" or even being on a team making the playoffs would increase the salary for the next year by a preset formula. Once a player has established themselves through this initial "rookie" contract they would have the opportunity to negotiate contracts but each team would continue to have a salary cap protecting the integrity of the employer's franchises from one or two owners who might want to use their personal wealth to dominate the others. These new contracts would be guaranteed like the contracts in other professional sports but they would also be limited to 3 years or less in length as a protection to the teams. A team would be liable for the monies remaining on a contract if they cut the player however if a player is injured there would be a payment scheduled based on the inability to continue employment. The rules of the league would prohibit the renegotiation of these contracts, players who signed contracts would not be able to hold out for a new contract. However, the league standard contract would include automatic pay raises for personal and team achievements so that a player in year two of a three year contract who makes the pro bowl will receive an increased salary in year 3. We all know that in 2011 we may be watching the bus drivers play and it will be interesting to see who amongst the wealthy wins the battle ... I think we as fans have about reached all we can pay out of our pockets in this economy there isn't much blood left in the wallets ... so paying back-ups millions of dollars while the average American gets by on under $50K just can't be the way of the world much longer.

JP moved into the City of Buffalo ... he worked hard to be part of this community becoming one of Western New York's biggest boosters on the national scene. In every interview he gave to out of town media you had a sense that the guy really loved the place most of us call home. Something we complain that other members of our professional teams fail to do. And yes, he failed on the field. Another in the list of many first round quarterbacks selected by another group of professional scouts from almost every team who make choices that go bad. Oh wait, who does Kiper like in the first round let's get him ... or boy I hope the Bills fail this year so we can pick a quarterback with next year's pick because those first rounders always bring in Super Bowl victories just ask the people in New Engla ... oh never mind. So, JP didn't work out. He had such offensive minded coaches here who were absolutely dedicated to scoring as many points as possible with an attack offense ... oh wait ... we had Dick didn't we. But to wish bad things for a guy who tried. For a guy who cared about our community. In fact, to mock what he did here. It's just another sad day realizing how sad it is that there is a significant group of people who thrive so much on their negativity that they just won't take a moment to appreciate someone who tried but just didn't work out. To me it was great news when JP won with Las Vegas and if he can make it in Seattle that would be a good thing. But, now is the time to be hopeful that one of the four in camp is the guy. I am a Bills' fan and I want them to win not to lose so I can complain. GO BILLS and Thanks JP for being a young man willing to care about the community you work in and being williing to volunteer your time to help your neighbors (hey, that's a novel idea. Wonder how many on this board give back to their community at least once a month by volunteering to clean up a neighborhood or help kids with disabilities?)

I agree that we cannot stash Brown ... Brohm is our mystery guy but I think he is going to prove all of the naysayers who have never seen him play wrong and that he will be our guy in September. That being said, when you seriously look at Fitz and Edwards I think Edwards brings more to the table that Fitz. This is especially true with the new coaching regime. It may be a close battle between Edwards and Brohm but come September the three QB's on the roster will be Brohm, Edwards, and Brown. Fitz will find a home elsewhere ...

I misread this post because I think that our new regime will be looking to cut some known players during this preseason as examples before even giving them a shot at the 2010 season. Gailey wants to weed out those players who do not have their heads into the game as well as those who are physically unable to perform at expected levels. The rookie weekend gave us some insight into this philosophy especially his comments about studying plays versus going out to the movies at night. There is no doubt that by the opening game with the Fish at the Ralph, which I think we can win, that the following veterans (maybe surprise names to some fans) will be gone unless they have a miraculous transformation (if Chan is willing to cut a 'name' or former high draft pick that will tell us something about him): 1. McCargo - Has shown nothing, done nothing and now there really doesn't appear to be a position he matches with at all. Would not be surprised to see him gone with the first round of cuts this summer. 2. Roscoe - What an enigma. I don't think any of us has ever seen a better punt returner nor a worse receiver after the catch in Bills' history. Last year, he lost the punt returning mojo and maybe it was the coaches ... who knows. But, he is going to have to prove to this new coaching staff that his skills merit retention. 3. Hardy - It's like this guy is under some super secret cone of invisibility. The implications are that he can play at this level ... the last coaching staff and so far the only comments from this one's would seem to be saying that Hardy can be our number two guy (we all remember the Jacksonville game) but none of us has seen it. He needs a big camp because there are some hungry young receivers in camp who are ready to play each week. It would be great to see Namaan do the impossible and make the team ... GO BULLS! 4. Whitner - I have not been a member of the let's hate Donte club. I have celebrated his brashness and leadership but at the same time this preseason I think he needs to truly step up because our safety corps has grown with Byrd obviously starting at Free. So that leaves Wilson, Scott, Corto, and Harris all looking for an opening to play. Assuming Corto makes the team as a SP guy and back-up ... do we cut Wilson? Scott? I don't think so. 5. Youboty/Corner - Ahh, all those DB's. We have a wealth of them, which is a good thing but to be in the elite four a player has to step up. McGee, McKelvin, and Florence are the top three. I don't think you keep both Youboty and Corner because we have some other talent behind them who can easily push right by. So, Youboty and Corner need to stand out this preseason to make the cut. 6. McIntyre - The lonely fullback ... it will be on his shoulders to prove it's worth having a full back because we have a group of tight ends who can slip into the backfield on occasion to take on some of what a traditional fullback would have done. 7. Mitchell - I don't think he gets cut but the potential is there because of the competition at linebacker. He needs to step up to prove that he is better than the young hungry guys. Finally, all those Kelsay haters. He is coming off one of his best seasons and his abilities may be just what our new 3-4 is looking for from the outside LB. His motor is always going, he is a team leader, and I am confident he stays. Maybin on the other hand ... well time will tell.

As a Bills' scout commented this week ... they hope that one or maybe two of the undrafted players might have what it takes to make the roster. They need cannon fodder so they bring in the truck drivers and wanna be's. Favorite might have a chance with another team but Harvey has clearly pushed him out in the pursuit of the back-up for the back-up at NT.

Based on what we have seen and heard from this new regime ... no one is a lock and Chan is looking for players who give 100% all the time and whose heads are into winning football. The only receiver I would say is a lock is Evans ... Gailey wants to win this year and the offense will be his not some coordinator's. So, if Roscoe does the disappearing act again this year and gives a half hearted effort I can see him being out on the waiver wires looking for a team that wants a very short receiver who gets zero added y ardage after his catches and who has the potential of up to five yards gained every time he runs a reverse. Obviously, he is one of the best punt returners in the league when his head is into it. Would love to see the young players step up and make a difference in some games ...

You know we have never done an announcer draft on here ... that sure sounds like an excellent way to discuss The Bills, football and sports in general ... There can never be too many announcer drafts ....

Sadly this is again proof that Buffalo is lacking sports' reporters who can get a story rather than waiting for Chris Brown to hand them one. Maybe this week there won't be any drafts on GR and someone will ask some questions about Maybin. You have to assume he was there because the only "missing" player noted was Hardy with Harris being injured. Hardy sure is winning points for himself by having something else going on in his life.

Believe me you don't want to know ...

Thanks ... switching over to WECK here in NJ because this announcer draft is UNBELIEVABLE ... To think the Bills rookie camp has started and here I am listening to a Buffalo sports' station talking about which announcer is still left on their draft board ... UNBELIEVABLE!!! I am OUTTTTTA HERE!

EXACTLY ... Banks has a history of not impressing and being wrong. It's just like all of those who are condemning the draft because Claussen and McCoy are not ours. Frankly, I can't remember many teams who magically transformed themselves based on off-season free agent signings. That being said, we need to hope that Chan can work his magic with one of our four quarterbacks and that the O-Line returns to good health (remember that unit actually appeared to be decent in the first game before the injuries started). Accepting the opinions of the Banks and Kipers of this world is something I am not willing to do because their past track record doesn't show me anything. What did Banks say in 2009 about the upcoming season? Was he right or wrong?

This is a great place for Bills' fans to talk about our team but sadly the extreme level of immaturity that streams from some postings really leaves the question open to whether this is the graffitti wall for some local junior high school kids or if some adults love the thought of being junior high school bullies. The insults, the obscenities, the racist undertones, and the attacks on other posters make this a place unfit for young fans to visit, which is sad because young fans might want to write about their team too. And, of course there are the so-called fans who apparently hate the Bills with such gusto that they have to diminish the talents of every player in the lockerroom. I am not sure what anyone can do about all of this ... and I am sure that there will be attacks on those of us who understand why Tim would abandon this wall. Would be nice if some intelligence and sense of community existed here but then again it no longer exists anywhere. GO BILLS ... and come back Tim!

Solid post ... a good reminder that other teams' drafts have been just as bad or worse than the Bills ... it's a crap shoot with these kids and yes THE BEAST if he had realized that those $$'s gave him and future generations more than he would ever need would have been the franchise RB with Jackson as his tandem mate but forward we go. Would love to compare the drafts of teams in our division over the last few years ... if someone has the time ...

One of the ongoing problems of this board is that a significant percentage of those who post attacks on Bills' players don't watch the games ... I sometimes wonder if they even listen to them. Nelson when healthy was beginning to be very productive and national publications (if I recall ... no link) were saying that the Bills' getting him was a steal, "Pick Analysis: Nelson was one of the highest-rated tight ends in the draft and unexpectedly slipped to the fourth round. He has great size and catching ability but will need to work on his blocking. The Bills were looking for a tight end, and he will fill an immediate need." He was outstanding at the combine http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/shawn-nelson?id=71413 although that doesn't necessarily mean that much ..

First WELCOME to the board!!! Take a deep breath as you post because there will be some incredibly absent minded responses to your posts but people with solid posts, questions, and discussion points like this are very welcome to the board! Like others, I am of the opinion that Steve Johnson has the potential to be a really good #2 wide out and I am completely satisfied with Evans. There is still a small glimmer of hope for Hardy but I also like the upside of Easely. Roscoe has not shown much ability to run with the ball after catching it and his minutia prevents him from having any real chance across the middle. We still need to find a replacement for Josh Reed but like so many other elements of the Bills' offense we don't know the answers because Coach Dick played to not lose rather than to win. Coach Chan is about winning and since he will be calling the plays on game day he's putting all of the pressure on himself to succeed ... that alone is a major step up from the past. GO BILLS!

The way our defense is being built it will provide Byrd and company with better opportunities to pick off those rushed passes ... I am feeling really good about our D!!! Williams is just a motor guy who will do well in any setting so I am not worried about his size and the more I see about Troup's ability to take up two blockers has me excited about the disruptions up front ... a key will obviously be our OLB's but between the draft and what we have ... things can only be better than last year. And, the stronger our D is the more time the offense will get on the field ...