CodeMonkey

You give NFL GMs far too much credit. The only "smokescreens" going up are from media idiots trying to pretend they have inside information.

More likely just another idiot pretending that he knows something. There are only a few people that know what the Bills or any other team are thinking until later tonight. None of them work for the media.

It is pretty easy to conceive actually. What Americans call soccer, and the rest of the world calls football, is by far the most popular sport in the world. I'm not sure there is even a close second, and if there is it certainly is not tackle football. More and more kids are playing soccer now in the US. In fact in my area baseball diamonds are being torn up and replaced with soccer fields due to the increase in participation in soccer and decrease in baseball. As these kids grow up with soccer, and fewer with football, as a sport they participated in then footballs popularity will inevitably decrease. Tackle football has been a mainstay in America for a very long time, and it has withstood the external pressures from soccer up to this point. But the change is happening, albeit at a fairly slow pace. I think talking about footballs "demise" is premature to be sure. But to think it will not and can not decline and lose it's place as the #1 sport in America is thinking more with your heart than your head in my opinion.

I couldn't possibly disagree more. Graham makes a huge leap here that the hiring of Marrone was a package deal with Nassib. But if indeed there was some kind of package deal, then it is because Marrone absolutely believes that Nassib is that talented. Grahams entire thought process in this blog entry just seems flawed to me.

Participation in youth football is already shrinking in some parts of the country, apparently more in the northern states than the southern. I can see that trend continuing. I don't see participation falling off in states like Texas for example for quite a long time, if ever. Some parents as well as the kids themselves see that there is equal opportunity for a college scholarship playing sports that have a much lower risk of a reduced quality of life. Areas of the country where football is ubiquitous like Texas and is firmly engrained in the culture will continue to play and provide the bodies for college and the NFL for a long time to come. But I can imagine a time in the fairly distant future where tackle football is not the most popular sport in the entire US. I didn't see any one place that listed it out, but there are plenty of articles like this one: http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-7107599088395241927/football-participation-numbers-decline-69-percent-but-why/

I believe this to be the case as well. They don't have infinite time on the clock so having specific parameters defined beforehand as much as possible would be a big help. Also the relationship aspect is key. All it would take is you !@#$ing another GM over one time for your reputation, and your ability to make any future deals, to go right into the toilet.

That could very well be. But I did not know thing one about Gilmore at that time and was just going by his body language.

I remember watching the first round last year and when they had Gilmore on camera getting the call from the Bills he certainly did not have the face of a happy man

Actually a lot, probably most in my opinion, of Bills fans want Nix to say exactly what he did when he hired Gailey, "We got the guy we wanted all along". Truthful kool-aid doesn't taste as sweet as the other

I would imagine almost all the conditional "what ifs" are all made ahead of time like you say. "If Geno is still on the board at #8 I'll give you X" for example. I can only imagine what GM's with picks in the top 10 lives are like the last 3 or 4 days before a draft

I'm not sure how making the pick within 15 seconds of going on the clock makes you any more or less confident in your selection. But I don't see any harm in waiting a minute or two to see if some desperate GM is willing to give up way too much for your pick. Probably not going to happen, but like the lottery ads say, hey ... you never know.

That's what was disappointing to me about the Spiller pick. They sprinted up to the podium instantly almost afraid someone would make them an offer.

I am always reminded of an interview I saw a few years ago of Brain Burke when he was the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The interview was about player trades and he made the statement that all things need to be considered. For example, he said, right now Luke Schenn is probably the most untouchable player in the NHL (interestingly he is no longer a Leaf, but I digress), but if someone offers me 10 first round picks and he is on a plane! You can not, and should never, ignore the possibility of the "deal you can't refuse" ... even when you are on the clock.

If Marrone, his college coach, likes him enough to draft him at #8 that would make me feel pretty damn good. Marrone not only knows a lot more about football than I do, but he also knows way more about Nassib than any scout, GM, or other coach possibly could. There would be no reason for me to second guess that pick under these circumstances.

I tend to think it is because most people, so called experts and non experts alike, cannot grasp the lack of complexity of the game and over analyze things. But point taken.

It's one of those night vision cameras.

I agree there is no harm in wishful thinking. Also no harm in not doing it. When my wife buys a lottery ticket I don't yell at her for being bad at math, but I don't go shopping for Lamborghinis with the wishful winings either

A valid point. But another dynamic worthy of analysis may be the over the top optimist with the absense of any evidence,

Every team needs camp fodder.

Unless something drastic happens, Bills/Browns should suck (from an overall quality of play perspective) big time. Bills/Pats could be good if the Bills win or at least keep it close like they sometimes do early in the season, but has snoozefest potential as well.

Smart for them to put two teams that have been bad in recent years on a night where their ratings were probably going to suffer anyway. I was flipping through channels last night and hit one of the ESPNs while they were going through teams schedules and predicting wins and losses, and I happened in at the start of them doing the pats*. For the opener they said that the Bills generally play the pats* tough when its within the first few games of the year, but predicted a pats* win (Bills leading late but making a mistake to hand the game to the pats*). But on the last game it got a bit insulting with comments like "the Bills will have been out of the playoffs for a while by this time and will have their bags packed and in their cars before kickoff", pats* win.

If we are home we will watch the Bills first pick then that will be all.

Exactly. Ask yourselves this, which would you rather have on the Bills long term, Mario with his contract or Clay with his? As for my answer just let me say this ... if Nix managed to sign Clay Matthews to that contract for the Bils, I would drive to Buffalo and kiss him on the mouth.

Don't pee in the Kool-Aid.

I know a team with a #8 they can have for two firsts, a second, and two fourths.