Never NEVER Give-up

I think he's done - I thought the same when he played for the Pats. Stick a fork in 'em!

He's an undeniable talent. We need to trust CHIX to meet with him and assess if he's ready to be serious about playing on a Football TEAM. In the past it's always been about Vince. Has he matured? Can he lead? Can he accept blame for things that don't go right? I trust CHIX to assess this and more when they talk to him. If they sign him, I'll be thrilled - it'll mean they think he can do it!

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial-page/viewpoints/article833545.ece?twobillsdrive

I couldn't agree more, but I read it on-line and there was also an editoial that was totally refreshing and you should read and share with everyone you know - the ideas put forth it could help the Bills locate downtown and become a major impetus for regional growth funded by the state, federal and canadian governments. I will also post this as a new topic - it is such a refreshing approach for Buffalo's morass for the last 50-60 years. http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial-page/viewpoints/article833545.ece?twobillsdrive

Shoretalk said - - "When he grades a team he is grading them against the KIPER pre-draft insight. So teams that do not pick the way Mel wanted them to pick get lower grades and those foolish enough to buy into all of his picks get the higher grade." I wholeheartedly agree. I was watching when C. Glenn was drafted and Kiper said we needed a Tackle, not a Guard - so right there we received demerits because we didn't address our need (per Kiper). When the NC State WR was taken, both Kiper & McShay had him as a 7th rounder - demerits vs value (per Kiper). The problem with Kiper's evaluation is that is presumes his valuations are the standard by which all teams draft. If that were true (AND IT ISN'T) then he would have a point in his "Draft Grades". I'd rather we go by the pros - Buddy CLEARLY and RATIONALLY explained what they did and why - this is why I love the guy and say - if Buddy says so - it is so. I drank his kool-aid shortly after he got the job. He doesn't presume to know more than the next guy and he explains himself freely - stopping short ONLY when his answer could compromise a competitive advantage. Did the draft go perfectly - no - because there were 31 others taking talent we liked. But we were still able to address need positions and we got bigger and faster. Now, just as we signed Nick Barnett, we wait for June when teams shed veterans for one reason or another and maybe we can addresss another need at that time. I am very optimistic about the Bills. Undeniably, they are improving and trending in the right direction. We haven't been able to say that since the 90's!!

I'd wait till Saturday, after Rd's 2-3 are over and offfer them one of our 7th round picks - he's an upgrade over Thigpen and with a full year as starter under his belt, he may actually make a jump and be better than he was and fulfill some of the promise he had coming out of college.

NE picked 2 "name" guys who had excellent college careers. HOWEVER, these guys are tweeners and it will be difficult to scheme so these guys can excel. Will they each be able to play all 3 downs? I don't think so, but we'll see. More often than not, as of late, Belechik has been missing on his picks - not nearly as successful as when Scott Pioli (KC Chiefs) was there. The only thing to fear in NE is Brady and if you can't tell, we're loading up to stop that!!

Dead on! I swear these guys aren't grading the quality of the pick, they are grading the pick vs their mock draft - as if they know what we need!! We had one of the fewest sacks-against totals in the league last year AND there were no tackles worthy of a pick @ #10. Prisco's bruised ego is obvious. Yep - and they all had Gilmore off the board when we picked at #10!!

Buddy & 2 scouts went to Notre Dame to interview hm and work him out. So a OBD visit wasn't necessary. At this point they know if they love him or not - the decision on Floyd has been made. Now it's a question of whether he is available to us at #10, and who else is available to us (Kuchley, Tannehill, Kalil, CB's, Barron, Richardson etc) - they will all make the choice more difficult - and if 2-3 of these guys are available - a trade down scenario will present itself - THAT would be the best scenario!!

Not so sure that he's not injury prone. Both his injuries were roll-up injuries - that happens every week to OL-men. He seems to get injured when it happens. I love the guy, but he needs to play out a season. He would have been a Pro Bowl-er last year. Let's hope all goes well this year and he achieves that - then we can concentrate on Super Bowl-ers!! Go Bills!! I feel the same way about Terrence McGee - I love him and he's our best corner (and probably kick returner) - but he can't stay on the field. I feel bad for him, but if he gets hurt again this year, I believe the Bills wil cut him loose.

AND don't forget to factor-in the Notre Dame quarterbacking!!!

Mallet - maybe. If he's clean and if Chanix like him as a franchise QB than go for it. Maybe a 4th Rd pick, this year's 4th Rd'er if they like him that much. Remember, just because they have Brady, doesn't mean they are great judges of QB talent - otherwise they'd have drafted Brady earlier in the draft. So don't assume Mallet is trash just because they are dangling him.

Kiper's 'Grade A' Draft: Mel plays GM of every AFC team in picking Rounds 1-3 of the draft When I do mock drafts, I'm not simply giving my opinion on where players will go. In fact, I disagree with some of the picks I'm putting down. But the mocks are based on a combination of where players are being valued across the league, how I feel those players are valued by individual teams, what the top needs for each team are, whether they value need over the best player available and so on. It's not an editorial. For this, I was asked, "What would you do if you were picking?" So I gave it a shot. I've listed what I see as the top needs for each team, and I've gone ahead and made the picks that fill needs based on where I have players ranked. A few ground rules: 1. At each spot, I'm making the pick best for that team at that spot. I won't pass on an ideal pick for the Bills at No. 10 just because that player would be a great fit at No. 11. 2. There are no duplicates anywhere. 3. I will suggest good spots to trade down, but I won't rearrange the board. 4. This is for fun! One pick can derail a whole draft, so in no way do I think this is how it might look. With that in mind, let's go through it. I'll discuss motives for each team in the analysis. AFC East Buffalo Bills Top needs: LT, WR, OLB, CB, QB Rd 1 (10) WR Michael Floyd Rd 2 (41) OT Jonathan Martin Rd 3 (71) LB Mychal Kendricks Analysis: Not in order, but I've hit my top three needs if I'm Buffalo. There are front offices that have Floyd as the top wide receiver in the draft, so getting him at No. 10 is pretty fair, given I've had him at about that spot on my Big Board. Floyd is a big target who will pick up the route tree quickly and give Ryan Fitzpatrick a much-needed new option. Martin is a guy who once carried a solid first-round grade and could be a total steal at No. 41. Kendricks has immense physical talent and could be plugged in immediately, something the team did with Kelvin Sheppard last year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am all for taking Kalil at #1. Now that you acknowledge that I am dreaming because he'll be long-gone, I would say the other tackles are not top 10 material. Reiff is physical, smart but athletically limited. Martin is athletically gifted, but his heart/desire are in question (can you say Mike Williams??). No thanks!!!! With Kalil gone, and Luck,RG3 & Blackmon gone too, the next guy we should take is Floyd (WR - Notre Dame). No other pick in the draft will have as much of a positive impact on the team - he would immediately upgrade our offense. If we take one of the Tackles - MAYBE they start, MAYBE they don't. Same goes for the LB's out there. D On the other hand, DeCastro (Stanford G) would be an intriguing pick - would that mean CHIX plans to move Levitre to Tackle?

Did YOU ever play football at the HS or college level? Overcrowed locker rooms and a great # of guys you don't like - because they're jerks. I remember all too well. We look at the Bills and almost unconditionally love them. But sometimes there's a real jerk or a troublemaker and many call for that guy to be shipped out of town (Whitner, Lynch are the 1st guys that come to mind.) Then there's all-around good guys that seem to be our core - Fitz, Kelsay, Kyle, Stevie, Andy, Eric, Dareus, Barnett, Mcgee, Sheppard and Florence. These guys are the reason we love the Bills. We love them and want them to win so bad - for themselves - we want to see them get the accolades.

Generally speaking, approximately 50% of 1st round selections are marginal or busts. If they find a way to identify football intelligence, desire, drive and heart, they'd never miss on a pick. The problem is they project the circumstance of the draft pick onto themselves and not the person selected. What I mean is they look at a prospect, say to themselves we're gonna give this guy all this money, we'll coach him up and with all that money he'll want to go thru a wall for us - so it'll all work out. But all those 1st round picks prove otherwise.

Excellent point - this supports what I said in my preceding post. The #22 rank in QBR is directly correlating to the # of picks. The number of picks was due to his pressing and trying to do too much. With improvements, better health and (hopefully) ND WR-Floyd, he will show what he is - closer to the top 10, between 10 - 15 probably.

I guess they can't rank him higher based on our record last year, but if you read why espn's james Walker picks the Bills as his sleeper next year, then there is reason enough to rank him higher. I think Fitz is closer to top 10 than he is to the bottom ten. 15 sounds about right - trending upward. We'll see. If Fitz has a bad year this year, look for Buddy & Chan to really look for a new alternative.

10 Buffalo Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa - Buffalo has passed on offensive line options in recent years, but Reiff would be a good option to buck the trend. The Bills have made big strides on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, and that allows them to focus on shoring up the offense. Reiff will help protect, but is a complete player and will provide a spark in the running game as well. Don Bank's New Mock (4.0)10 Buffalo Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa The Bills are another team thought to have Floyd on their radar, but the value of getting a potential blindside tackle for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick keeps me returning to Reiff as the safer and more sensible pick. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/don_banks/04/04/nfl.mock.draft.4/index.html#ixzz1r6dxGIbD 41 Buffalo Brian Quick WR Appalachian St. - A favorite of mine, Quick has big-time size and can stretch the field. Buffalo lacks a true deep threat.

No preseason game in Toronto this year - there was a conflict in the dome, so the game is reverting back to the Ralph. Season Ticketholder Bonus baby!!!

Only OJ knows what's true. A very sad story of a Golden Boy who's life takes a nasty turn with those events in '94. If Jason had committed the double murder, it does explain quite a bit of OJ's behavior that horrific evening. Then the way the narcissistic Simpson conducted himself throughout the trial and afterwards - up to and including the bizzare Vegas armed robbery - perhaps extremely bitter about how everything turned out (becoming a pariah and thought-guilty of something he (maybe) didn't do). Now serving 33 yrs for armed robbery - I can't help but think that sentence is 2-3x what it would have been for anyone else. A little retribution for skating on Nicole & Ron's deaths? I always wondered . . . I wonder if/when OJ is eligible for parole?

With most of the big names in NFL free agency already signed, now is a good time to look at the teams that have improved the most over these past few weeks. These are teams that had a specific plan in free agency, went out and executed that plan. As a result, their rosters are much improved. espn Insider Link http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7750689/buffalo-bills-defensive-line-best-free-agent-fixes-nfl?addata=2009_insdr_mod_nfl_xxx_xxx Here are the (top 2 of the) five best team fixes in free agency: 1. Buffalo Bills' new defensive line If you want to see a shocking transformation of a weak unit into a dominating unit, look no further than Buffalo, which is making the transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. The Bills' scheme shift comes with some huge additions. They made a huge splash by signing the best defensive free agent on the market, longtime Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, and they followed it up by nabbing DE Mark Anderson, who played for the New England Patriots in 2011; Anderson is coming off a 10-sack season. The key might be on the inside, however. The Bills have a pair of defensive tackles, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus, who will be terrific and should actually be better in the 4-3. When you include the possibility that LB Shawne Merriman may have something left in the tank, this has a chance to be among the most dominating defensive fronts in 2012, after being the weakest unit on this team in 2011. This will be a fun group to watch in the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. New England Patriots' wide receivers How do you dramatically improve an already dominant passing offense? Well, you keep it together while adding the right parts to broaden what you can do. Right now, this Tom Brady-led offense looks almost unstoppable. Some of the Patriots' recent moves include giving Wes Welker the franchise tag, re-signing Deion Branch, getting Chad Ochocinco to restructure his contract, re-signing young developmental speedster Matthew Slater and acquiring two veteran receivers, Anthony Gonzalez (Indianapolis) and Brandon Lloyd (St. Louis) -- the latter of whom may be the guy the Patriots have been looking for to stretch the field and loosen up defenses. It is surprising that the Pats have not really addressed the defensive weaknesses of their team so far in free agency, but at least for now it looks like they can outscore teams with this electric passing game. And the defense could be helped in the draft. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUFFALO BILLS Key additions: DE Mario Williams, WR Steve Johnson (re-signed), DE Mark Anderson, TE Scott Chandler (re-signed) Key losses: None Analysis: The Bills now have one of the best defensive lines in the league, as they transition to a 4-3. Adding Williams not only gives Buffalo a great player on game day, but also recognition as a team trying to improve that now has the ability to lure big-time free agents. The Bills took filling their biggest need one step further though by adding Anderson, a fine pass-rusher in his own right who might excel exploiting single blocking opposite Williams. Buffalo also kept Johnson, its top offensive playmaker. The Bills would have been in dire straits at wide receiver if Johnson left and if they couldn't find a suitable replacement. Buffalo's roster wasn't raided at all this offseason and that continuity could pay off heading into 2012. Unlike most years at this time, the Bills are not riddled with gaping holes that need to be addressed in the draft. Instead, they can take the best player available, which is a winning formula. Grade: A

The Jets/Cards played twice since 2004 (2004 & 2008 - Jets won both).

Yeah, probably took him 45 mins to confirm it . . . something like . . . 11:30 Coming up in the next segment - Eric Wood 11:35 #70 of the Bills in the next hour 11:40 Bills' guard Eric Wood coming up 11:45 One of AFC East's best guards in the next segment - Eric Wood 11:50 Eric Wood-man, stud AFC East guard of Buffalo Bills up soon 11:55 Man's-man Eric Wood #70 in the next segment Noon Studly rock of a man, Bills' guard Eric Wood in the next hour 12:05 Send me your tweets to describe Bills Guard Eric Wood, coming up soon 12:10 How much defense would an Eric Wood chuk? Bills' guard in the next segment 12:15 Bills guard #70, Eric Wood after the next segment aaaarrrrgggghhhh ! I can't stand Rome - say it once, repeat 1000 times, kill an hour, get paid a small fortune . . . great work we'd all take if we could get it!!!