flmike

Top 3 guitarists: Andres Segovia Jim Hall Steve Howe

They weren't a spread offense, but Ponder does run very well, especially for a big guy.

But it doesn't make any sense to draft a QB in the first round, if the QB class is as weak as it is this year. That's just throwing a pick away. Yeah, I'd like to draft Manning this year, but he's not there. We picked Maybin in the first round, but that doesn't make him a great DE or LB.

I agree with most of this, except about Spiller being a luxury pick. The entire FO knew that we needed someone to make plays on offense and even telegraphed their pick in interviews (Nix and Gailey) saying we'd like to get a "water bug" type player that can be moved around to make plays. They did exactly that. The problem turned out to be that Spiller was not able to transition to the NFL, and especially to the Bills where big holes were not there and running around everyone was not possible. Bottom line is that the pick just didn't work out as they hoped. The pick was the result of Nix needing to generate some excitement rather than building the trenches first. I'll bet he was just a pissed about how far the defense fell in switching the 3-4 as the rest of us. Let's see how he responds this year.

Wow, lots of stories of fans leaving the Bills. I root for my hometown team, no matter what. If the organization sucks, then I hold off on buying stuff, but I still cheer them on. I also don't tie up my self worth in how well a bunch a football players do. Sports is entertainment and only one teams wins the Super Bowl tournament.

I don't think anyone is a free agent yet. We'll see what happens once the CBA is negotiated, if it ever is.

It would different if those players helped their teams get to the playoffs. We've made some bonehead FA moves, but these were not among them. Good for them, though. They earned a chance to play in the postseason.

Yeah, awfully hard for a small-market team to put together something like that again. I did enjoy it, though.

No doubt you have to have horses on both sides of the ball. Look at the 90s Bills teams. They were stacked with talent on both sides. The key was taking Bruce Smith in the first round. I don't think the Bills would have done as well without him. Definitely not 4 SBs. Opposing teams never figured out a way to completely seal him off, leaving Bennett, Conlan, Talley and others free to do their thing.

Best player available is the first filter in a draft. Next comes need. Put the two together when there's a toss-up or if you are loaded at the BPA position (meaning you have 2 pro-bowlers there).

Already a thread on him, but having watched him every game since he was a sophomore, I think he'll do very well. Very mobile, could get better passing, but has a good arm and good technique. Very smart and a great leader.

Remember that most sports teams are just sidelines for owners. Only a few depend on them for primary income. The low figures sound about right considering that everyone has to keep up with Jones and Snyder's reckless spending habits.

That's the thing. We just ended up with a high pick in a year w/o "franchise" QBs or Bruce Smiths available. I hope they don't take Newton at 3 just to pick a QB that high. We would know then that Buddy has lost it or that Ralph is meddling again. I hope Nix faces reality and decides to trade down a bit, if a deal is available.

Only when he tried to come back too early and when he did get injured. He was never benched for his play this year. Thoner7, did you actually watch him play? He was one of the more mobile QBs in college football. I can't count the number of times he got a first down by himself. He really developed his accuracy this year and made mostly good decisions. Also, he plays in a close-to-pro scheme there, not the spread nonsense.

Everyone had a bad game that day. He was forced to catch up since his defense couldn't get off the field.

I don't know if Nix will go for him, but after watching all the FSU games the last few years, I think he will do well in the NFL. He reminds me a bit of Jim Kelly in that he never takes a play off. As soon as he throws or hands off, he looks for someone to hit. Unlike Kelly, he can win with his feet. He runs awfully well for a guy his size and has a good sense of when it's time to slide. The reason we don't know more about him is that he had the worst defense in college football this year. He constantly had to outscore opponents.

To win in this league, you need elite talent. These guys are usually taken in the top 5. If it's WR at BPA, we still make the team a lot better. Yeah, it's unfortunate that there's no Bruce Smith in this draft... but that's the breaks.

I'd take Ponder over Kaepernick, though.

This has to be a troll. Those are the ugliest uniforms I have ever seen.

I can't believe that was a national championship game.

Hey I'm a college professor too, and I agree. In football terms, it's also smart. He was only finishing his sophomore year for goodness sake.

Nope, the order starts at lack of a true NT or 2 big DTs (for 4-3), THEN the small LBs and safeties.

Yes, do you remember the no-punt game? Kelly finally outscored Montana in the end.

This is nicely said, but it seems to suggest that the Bills will never draft again. In all honesty, does anyone think we'll make the playoffs next year? The team drafted Bruce Smith high in 1985 and wisely grabbed the rights to Jim Kelly, should he leave the USFL. They got quite lucky in picking up Thurman Thomas in a later round and the Greg Bell trade blessed them with even more. Friends, that's how the Bills built that team in the 90s. It was comparable to the windfall that Dallas got with the trade with Minnesota. We have free agency now and things are different. I say build a good sound team and THEN plug in a good QB. You really want to toss out a college kid into this horror show? We have a few years to do this. Maybe in 2 years we can trade up to get somebody awesome. Not now.

I agree that ADs' and coaches' salaries are out of control. Normally I would say it's a free market, but these are tax dollars and kids' tuitions that are going to this. Someone has to stop this nonsense. What does an athlete get out all this? They get a free college education and sometimes even admission over others with similar SAT scores. If they don't treat that education as an opportunity, how are we to get too worked up? Now if coaches are lying to them about their chances, that needs to be addressed. At the school where I teach, that scholarship would be worth over 100,000 for 4 years. That's more than I made in my early 20s.