cage

I'm writing off the bottom 10... its true that 1-2 of them might turn things around yet, but that's still a poor hit rate for top 5 picks, don't you think??

For every first or second round bust, there's another team that would have happily picked that player within the next 10 or so picks. Very few of these guys wouldn't have been picked until 3-4 rounds later...if Dion Jordan, an Aaron Maybin level bust, wasn't picked 3rd overall, there's no way he would have lasted to 16 (where EJ was picked) or maybe even to 11 (where Maybin was picked)...and he would have been just as big a bust.

NFL.com has an interesting article ranking the top 5 picks of the draft since 2012. To demonstrate how difficult this is, there's only a 50% hit rate...on TOP 5 picks.. amazing. Clearly not very good. And we all know that if any of these players were passed over in the top 5, they would have been picked in the #6-10 slots and the team grabbing them there would have been graded an "A++" having scored the "steal of the draft" at the time...

ahh... also some serious zone blitz coverage that Mario was complaining and confused about. He covered Gronk downfield a couple times and broke up one of the passes. There was also a serious highlight in the first game against Colts where a sack was the result of Hughes covering TE downfield. When Luck saw TE blanketed he had to go down for Hughes coverage sack....He's been a stud!!

I'm might root a bit for Fitz and Chan if they get into the Playoffs... but next week I'm for Tyrod and crew...

Was just about to post this, good thing I kept reading. When evaluating Whaley there's also this list that should be part of it... Byrd, Spiller, unfortunately Fred as well...

Not entirely crazy.... all of these seem viable?!?

thats a great perspective....

Exactly,... lets start with a discussion of who would be our QB if Marrone was still coach, because it certainly wouldn't be Tyrod. Say what you will about Ryan, but I'm pretty convinced that he's the one who lured Tyrod to Buffalo. If Marrone was the coach he probably would have insisted on a veteran as he didn't want to give EJ as shot. He would be going into his 3rd year and he would have demanded a veteran game manager QB. So we would have had started Cassel or brought in either McNown or Brian Hoyer.... take a look at their records in Dallas, Cleveland and Houston respectively. We and he would be living with the limitations of those guys rather than the growing pains of Tyrod Taylor

Yeah likely,... they can do that after they hand him DROY!

How is Darby not one of the candidates for Week 10? Fire away... http://www.nfl.com/voting/rookies/2015/REG/10

Hmmm,... that's not a bad assessment. But our Defense has always had problems w/ running QBs. Tyrod runs for a TD... 2015 wins 10-6 Good poll question on the Tuesday afternoon preceding a Monday night game... #2Long2Wait

Irrelevant until after Monday night.... #6 if we win... #15 if we lose

As much as the Bills have been painful during the year, Whaley's been vindicated on all of his controversial moves. Cassell has been terrible and certainly not better than EJ. Fred Jackson has done nothing in Seattle, even w/ Lynch hurt and missing games. He picked two starters in this years' draft in Darby and Miller with his first 2 picks plus Karlos Williams. They had a fair QB competition and they indisputably selected the right guy to start. He resigned Jerry Hughes and Marcel Dareus, they're both playing very well despite the defense's overall troubles. McCoy has been very good when not playing hobbled w/ injury... and Kiko Alonso is out again I'm not sure what more we could want on the GM front. The injuries have been simply decimating. Between starting QB, #1 receiver and Pro-Bowl running back... plus Kyle Williams, Aaron Williams. plus in the last game, right side of OL... man, there's not many teams that can take hits like that. I don't think any of the undefeated teams could take that much either

OH,... now that's a beat down!

I would play action, look off Sammy and bomb to Goodwin on the first play for a TD...that would be a way start!

Exactly.

I think he's at risk for those kinds of tackles in the future. The way he runs will just frustrate the hell out of defensive players. All they see at the end of plays like that is that they want to make him eat the turf. I think he'll continue to be prone to drawing rough tackles at the end of runs (and 15 yd penalties tacked on)

...I think they also proved this year that 5th round picks have value

So here's some interesting analysis from Nate Silver's 538 site. He's been focusing more and more on sports statistics. The core article is The Complete History of the NFL which looks at every season of every team based on used Elo ratings, a simple system that estimates each team’s skill level using only the final scores and locations of each game. Based on 2015 predictions the Bill's are rated as having a 59% chance of making playoffs, but only 3% chance of winning the SB They have a 72% chance of winning on Sunday, so the odds will go up next week...discuss!

Yeah,...this is a good problem to have, but also a concern.... next year when we lose a bunch of these guys, we'll all be complaining that he shouldn't have given McCoy so much money...

He better get the next two right and get to 2-3

Good to hang on to these gems on days like yesterday! To have no first rounder and find starters in the 2nd and 3rd round, plus a guy like Williams in the 5th is astonishing. This is where Doug Whaley and the scouts really are earning their money. Couple that with our 3rd round starter from last year who lit it up today... this is how you build teams that can go a long way into January!

Ahhh,... while I appreciate his effort, Hughes was lucky he wasn't called for Pass Interference on that play. He has no business being sent downfield trying to cover Gronkowski... they need to rethink that

Yes, absolutely right. I've been saying for years that Brady is the luckiest pick in the history of the draft. Anybody that had idea that he would even be a starter, much less what he's become would have grabbed him by the 3rd round.... and even the Colts having Peyton would have grabbed him in the 4th round, if just to set up a Rob Johnson trade later...