starrymessenger

What is somewhat comforting in all of this is that Nix clearly wanted Williams though he knew he'd be gone at # 9. I think I recall talk of the Bills trying to cut a deal to have a shot. This means that Nix & Co were quite prepared to draft an OLineman (for those who criticize him for not doing so with early pics)and that he was spot on in his evaluation of Williams. It also means that he correctly assessed Davis as a leftover and passed.

I believe that as a junior at Auburn 3 years or more removed from his senior year in HS he is eligible for the 2011 draft. He is off the charts talented in terms of physical skills but he is also a very raw talent with virtually no experience lining up under centre and operating as a pocket passer at all. If he declared for the draft in 2011 (assuming there is one)he would almost certainly be drafted after the usual QB suspects we are now all familiar with. I don't know, depending upon the team, maybe 2nd or more likely the third round. If he stays at Auburn for his senior year with continuibg spectacular success he is almost certainly a top 5 pick in 2012. The timing of the introduction of any rookie salary cap makes his situation particularly interesting though in terms of whether he comes out as a junior or not.

Newton is Vince Young. If you like Vince you should like Cam. If you don't like Vince Cam is not your guy.

Aaron Maybin played only two years of college football, and only saw spot duty his first year. Had he stayed in school he would now be a senior. In terms of gameday activity you could say the Bills drafted a player with one year of college ball under his belt. Except in the rarest of cases (I can't think of one example off hand) in this ultra-competetive day and age that is virtually a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Bills rolled the dice with the odds heavily staked against them, with predictable results. I always think of Maybin together with another player in his draft class: Michael Johnson of the Bengals. They have similar body types, with the exception that 260 was Johnson's real playing weight when he entered the pro ranks, and he's a bit taller. Both had off the charts physical skills. Both had question marks associated with them In Johnson's case occasional motivational issues. In Maybin's, youth, size issues and inexperience. I was puzzled why Mayock had a first round rating on Maybin while he warned NFL teams from taking a flyer on Johnson before the third round (and he was in fact ultimately drafted in the third). Johnson is this year beginning to realize his great potential in Cinci, but he graduated as a senior and is therefore two years ahead of Maybin. So if Maybin is able to follow Johnson's example it will be only after a couple more years that we will start to see it, if ever we do. This timing is good for Maybin. If he has a good year in the last year of his rookie contract he will still be only 25 and just coming into his own. If he turns out to be Cam Wake II (another Nittany Lion), imagine the contract he will receive.

Don't think I'm sexist. Maybe some would say a prude though.Deano, happy to hear that there are policemen out there like you ready to spank the politically incorrect amongst us. I really feel edified by your five and dime platitudes. Let me leave you with a disturbing thought: there may be more things between heaven and earth than are drempt of in your philosophy.

They should certainly turn it around. They are the best 0-5 team I've ever seen talentwise and are light years ahead of us now(as are the Lions, Rams and Chiefs).

He can complete his credits in the offseaon. Agree he will want a (Stanford) degree.

Interesting concept as a way to hedge your bets in what is a very risky business. Only problem is the Bills have so many needs that I doubt they would ever draft 2 QBs in the same draft.

The article, and everything else I've seen on this, says biological sister. That surely is enough to attract strong disaprobation given that incest is probably the strongest social taboo. Its certainly true that there are guys playing professionally who have done worse, much worse things. It is also true that this kid deserves his shot at playing in the NFL. Unfortunately I doubt he will get it. The NFL is one of the most public venues in America, possibly the most public. Holding up incest to the public in crowded stadiums, team lockerrooms and in the national media might just be impossible to do. One cannot rationalize this result but therein lies the rub. There is nothing necessarily rational about our reactions to taboos. They are instinctive. We are more tolerant of more serious offences like vehicular homocide because we can identify with the wrongdoer - "There but for the grace of God go I". When it comes to incest though, we don't react in this way. Quite the contrary.

sure, you can never have enough good nose tackles when playing a 3/4.

His being so young is part of the reason they should not have drafted him # 11. If ever he grows up it will probably be just before his rich rookie contract expires. Then he can sign a megadeal and go play for the Jets. I guess we wind up with a third for that.

The Pats basically decided to concede this years AFC East championship to the NY Jets. They need to run the ball more to keep their youthful defence off the field. Means fewer chances for their receivers, including Moss. This in turn sets the stage for an unhappy and lockerroom disruptive Randy, because he needs touches to secure that last megadeal he wants from somebody else at years' end (Pats have already told him they are not in the running). BB probably never really liked the guy very much anyway.

Third round was about right. I couldn't see the difference between Maybin and Michael Johnson, who went to Cinci in the third. Both were gifted athletes who had some issues. Mabin was too young (and small IMO at his "true weight") and had only produced for a year or so. Johnson appeared to have occasional motivational problems, but also had off the charts measurables. Johnson is now playing well for the Bengals. Maybin, well, the only way he seems to see the field is close up with his face in the dirt.

I don't think the worst day has happened yet. It will be October 10 2010 when the Jacksonville Jaguars clean our clocks, especialy if Trent is under centre.

jimmy spagnola my foot. I know you. Your Tony Soprano and you'll hit me and slap me and pull my nose, which is ok because it would be more fun than watching the Bills these days.

I would throw in Kelsay and save 24MM.

When TO left town most people knew he could still play at a high level. The guy is incredible really. The decision not to sign him maybe made sense anyway since we are rebuilding and he is of greatest value to a team that can contend for something. BTW, two things: 1) the DB fell because he is much smaller and not as physical as TO, and 2) if Carson Palmer was playing like he was before his injury, TO's #s would be even be even better.

Doesn't look like its going to happen, at least not any time soon. Probably no point in harping on the past, but you have to think that the Bills should have upped the ante on Miami to sign Cam Wake. He is exactly the player the Bills thought they were drafting in Maybin (and giess what they are both Nittany Lions). Wake got 4.5M for four years. What did Maybin get, in addition to costing a first - Wake was a free agent. Dick Jauron is a lunatic, if indeed, as speculated, he is responsible.

The Pats don't have a running game, except against a terrible run D like ours. Let BB and his prissy girly man QB gloat all they want. Theirs will be a third place finish in the AFC East this year and no playoffs.

Thats what happens when your afraid of BB.

Ryan Lindell. Only misses when it matters.

His bitching, and playing in Foxborough, is why the clock was not allowed to run with 5 seconds left. Knee and ball were down in bounds. Wonder what happened to the booth review.

Luck will almost certainly be a top 5 pick whether he comes out early or not. He will likely be going to a team that is trying to rebuild/turn things around. The Bills qualify, but so too do a number of other struggling teams. Don't see the point of speculating whether he has a particular dislike for the City of Buffalo at this time.

You pretty much sum it up correctly. Maybe its been so long since a good QB played in Buffalo that some fans have forgotten what a good QB actually looks like. McNabb was not playing behind a great O-line in Washington Monday night (and neither was Schaub). He was behind a rather poor one. Playing on a gimpy ankle he was twice just a few inches from completing bombs to his not so wonderful receiving corps that would have given him 500+ yards passing. That 70 yard bomb to Armstrong (I believe) was a frozen rope. Trent has never thrown a pass like that. Actually, he doesn't need to. His arm is not Donovan's but it is strong enough (even though I find his long ball to be a bit of a floater). The point is he doesn't try those throws. Believe me, you would not recognize our receivers (and our entire offensive production) if McNabb was lining up under center for the Bills. On AFC playbook last week, they showed the distribution of the Bills receivers in a play during the Miami game. They were making the point that his receivers were pretty much covered. But they were wrong. We know, or should know, better. There was one, perhaps two receivers in the seams between DBs. Teams with good passing games exploit situations like that. The receiver turns upfield, the quarterback throws it deep and maybe good things happen. At the very least this loosens up the defence, gives you a better chance to make throws underneath or use the run game more effectively. Funny thing about the Bills receivers was that they were standing pretty much still fully facing Trent. No chemistry? Maybe, but whose fault is that? I suspect that you get this when your quarterback won't throw with anticipation of how a play may develop but looks instead for targets that are standing alone by themselves as in a pasture. That doesn't happen often enough in the NFL to make it a winning strategy. Trent does not have an intermediate to long passing game. Makes him, and the Bills, pretty easy to defend. So why doesn't he throw the ball downfield (I mean enough to make a difference to the defensive strategy)? I think that there are three possible answers. 1) He really just can't do it. For whatever reason, possibly but not necessarily because of injury, he cannot process the information before him quickly enough to have the anticipation to hit big plays in the passing game. For those who are of this view, the conclusion is pretty straightforward. Trent simply lacks a component of every good NFL QB's skill set. There is no shame in that. Very few college QBs have that skill set, which is nevertheless a requirement for success at this level. 2) He just doesn't care, doesn't have IT, would rather play golf, has no passion, the game is just not in his blood in the way that it is in every hard bitten player's blood, not a leader etc... He does seem somewhat spaced out sometimes, but, for what its worth, I personally believe he does care and does tries to be a leader. I think thats why he crushed a Chiefs DB a couple of years ago and why I have seen him this year make stupid unnecessary contract insteadof stepping out of bounds. I remember the live video of him with his friends and family when he was drafted by the Bills in the third. He looked ecstatic exactly like any college player would look when drafted by an NFL team. Its possible that he plays only because football offers him the potential of a better paycheck than his golf game does, but I'm not saying that and I prefer not to believe it. If its true on the other hand well then I would be with those who claim he doesn't have the psychological profile of an NFL quarterback (which is, after all a job requirement). 3)The last thing that comes to mind (at least my mind) is that Trent has a mental block. As he has said himself, he is a perfectionist. But unfortunately, there is way too much chaos and mayhem on an NFL playing field for a perfectionist to be a successful quarterback. Philip Rivers was saying on a Total Access segment last year that you need to take chances and run risks in the passing game. Even the greatest QBs will get intercepted. Trent appears unable to overcome the hurdle that prevents him from taking risks. If, as many suspect, he actually otherwise has the physical skills and the basic football smarts needed to be succesful, then this would truly be tragic, but clearly more so for him than for any of us fans or the Bills either for that matter. We'll just move on to the next JK heir apparent and relegate Trent to football scrapheat. But he will have lost an opportunity for a career as an NFL quarterback, with all the money and other perks that come with the turf, and for a reason that is probably not a good and sufficient reason. If this is the problem, then I feel sorry for him. I don't like to see people fail.

Thanks for the clarification. Much ado about nothing I guess.