vincec

He would be decent.

Gabbert was available at #3 and at the press conference after the 1st round Nix appeared to indicate that they would've drafted Gabbert if Dareus was off the board. So, they liked Gabbert enough to take him ahead of Von Miller a #3. Maybe Dareus was too good to pass up. As I said, hopefully they don't regret it. Obviously, finding a QB is THE most important step to winning a championship.

It looks like a good draft. The only picks I'd argue with are Searcy and (especially) Johnny White. Time will tell if the Bills faith in Fitzpatrick and their lack of confidence in Gabbert will be justified. If not, this draft will look like a missed opportunity. What say you to no QB?

Are you sure about that? http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/12/bills-stevie-johnson-every-nfl-player-is-enjoying-the-lockout/

Just referring to on of the many theories that were floated on this board last off season as to why the Bills players were chronically injured. This was a popular one along with too many TVs in the weight room. But yes, I doubt that most of the players are really working out the way they would if there were no lockout. You hear stories of some players working out and I'd like to think that they're professionals who take their fitness seriously, but I think many of them are far too immature to really approach fitness in a serious manner. Part of it is human nature and part of it is that they're young, rich and have no one to answer to right now.

I've heard some coach's, like Bill Parcells, say that when this happens consistently to a team it's because their players aren't good enough and are getting injured as a result. Either that or they're not doing enough squats.

I know that this is off topic, but the writer calling Bernard Hopkins perhaps the greatest middleweight in boxing history is a joke. Besides heavyweight, the middleweight division is boxing's deepest and most storied. Off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen middleweights better than Hopkins including Ray Robinson, Marvin Haggler and Harry Greb.

If the players are allowed to essentially do the same thing then why is it wrong for the owner's to do the same? Do they have a higher moral standard?

I think Fitzpatrick's play will be the difference between a 6-10 and a 10-6 season. If he can build on his play from last year then the Bills will be on their way to a possible playoff birth. If not, then it's back to the QB drawing board.

I like some of the glimpses that I saw from Carrington last season. I think he could really push Edwards for playing time at DE. Merriman - Poz - Sheppard looks like a LB group that would be fun to pass against...

I can't see Batten unseating Moats at ROLB. Based on this video, I would project Batten as a LOLB anyway. Also, since the Bills are playing a 4-3/3-4 "hybrid", there will be a lot of even fronts that include Kelsay as a LDE, probably in lieu of Merriman or Sheppard. Still, if everyone can stay healthy it should be an upgrade over last season!

Everyone who is disparaging and passing in VY will be sorry a couple of years from now. He has a ton of talent and is a winner. He is just young and needs a mentor. Fisher was not a mentor to him. If he can find the right situation, he is going to be successful.

He's really been trying to run himself out of town. If he'd just kept his mouth shut and let his agent negotiate, he might have had a chance to stay in Buffalo. At this point, I'd say it's a long shot.

I guess this is good. Really, i don't care about this behind the scenes stuff. I want to see a better product on the field. Ralph and Buddy can hire and fire whomever they want as long as the Bills are winning.

Whitner is a good player who wants to be paid like an elite player. There was probably a chance of signing him for some compromise price before he started being an unprofessional ass with his actions and tweets. He has now basically burned this bridge and is gone. The Bills should focus on signing Florence, who has contributed more than Whitner has anyway. It sounds like they are doing this. If the Bills front 7 improves, Whitner will be missed less than he thinks.

Doesn't make sense to me because of the reasons being mentioned, including: 1) Why would Hasselbeck come to Buffalo to be a backup? 2) Hasselbeck is not the "8-10" year prospect that Nix said the Bills are looking for 3) Hasselbeck has played his whole career in a different style of offense The new QB that they bring in will be a young guy with "potential" who is affordable and hasn't panned out where he is.

The more good D linemen the Bills have the better. They're going to have to fight it out amongst themselves for playing time, which will only cause them to improve. Regarding Troup, I think he's still the NT when the Bills go with an odd front. If one of the really big guys develops into a rotational or depth player, then that's good. If he pushes or replaces Troup then that's good too. Competition is good.

Donahoe was the last real GM the Bills had until Nix. He may have been marginal, but he was way better than no GM. The Bills got worked by the rest of the league between him and Nix and cemented the culture of losing that permeates the franchise. The only reason that Donahoe is gone is because he couldn't get along with Wilson.

Another appearance by the thought police.

I'm a little concerned about the weight loss thing. When a player is used to playing at one weight and has success at that weight, it's not that easy to gain or lose a lot of weight and still be effective, IMO. I'm not saying that he shouldn't lose the weight, but playing at 440 vs 300 lb guys is not the same as playing at 375 vs 340 lb guys. He's going to have to develop skills and techniques that he just didn't need before so it may be a stretch to say that he will be effective anytime soon.

Nice.

While I strongly sympathize with your Marxist sentiments, you still didn't answer my question. What is the basis of the anti-trust violation? There are no games. How can the courts force the NFL to play them?

I'm not lawyer, but I just don't get the anti- trust issues. If the NFL was proceeding with games and certain players were being blacklisted by the Owners from participating or if the Owners were instituting a wage scale without player consent, then that is obviously an anti-trust violation. But if there are no games then what's the problem? It's like a business which has closed (e.g. Wendy's has just indefinitely shut down all of their stores). How can the courts force them to open back up and start operations again? If the players want to play then I'm sure the UFL or some minor league team would be very happy to take them at a reduced salary.

I would assume that it's because without a CBA between the players and the Owners it's collusion for business owners to team up and decide who is allowed to hire who in the business world. Frankly, even with a CBA it has always been a little sketchy to me.

No, that's Charlie Brown. Levi is the "Godfather of Soul", the hardest working man in show business.