starrymessenger

Of course the Bills are not a good football team. Still they are improving, at least to the point where on consecutive Sundays (because consistency is the key)they can play competitively with much more talented teams. Really the credit has to go to Gailey who is getting the guys to play very hard instead of just mailing it in (like the Cowboys have done). I said at the beginning of the year that towards the end of the season we would start to see the type of team they would be when eventually they become truly competitive again and I think we are styarting to see that. My prediction was that late in the season, barring significant injuries, the Bills might surprise a few teams with a lot to play for - a wildcard or home field advantage in the playoffs, and that if they did that things would be looking a lot better for next year. Appers to me that is the direction things are going in. Obviously they need a good draft next year and one or two choice free agent signings would help immensely. If all that happens, they will be competitive in their division next year.

He is obviously a great athlete and yes I've seen his highlight reel - but that is a college highlight reel. What I don't know is how much his achievements as a college player depend upon the existence of a signficant difference between his athleticism and that of his opponents on D - a margin which is at best much reduced in the pro ranks. Maybe he can't run quite the way he did in college in the pros. Maybe he has to adjust. I don't have any "devastating evidence". What I think I see is a RB who fails to see the hole, fails to see how the play is developing, and who does not create holes through changes in direction - for a point of comparison see the video clip and comments on Johnson in last weeks' Playbook, for example. The guys commenting on the Ravens game had the same thing to say when CJ tried to turn the corner in lieu of turning it upfield. On that play in particular, it was not just a case of his getting the important extra yards instead of looking for the home run ball, as they said. If he turned it upfield he had a much better chance of breaking it. Even you say he hesitates and picks the wrong hole. Lots of other posters in this thread have seen the same or similoar things. I'm just saying that bears watching and could be a problem.

Everybody knows he is a rook. Everybody knows (and hopes) that he will get better with experience. I don't say he has got to be a worldbeater from the get go to be great. I'm saying there is a potential problem there that needs to be monitored. We all hope it resolves favourably, and it may indeed prove to be transitory, but to deny that it exists is plain flat wrong.

Spiller has clearly not yet adjusted to the pro game. That may very well be why he is underutilized. He seems not to see the play developing and does not run to daylight. That is indeed something that great backs can do and is one of their principal attributes. Neither does he show patience in following his blocking. He cannot rely on his superior athleticism alone in the pro ranks to beat defenders because the guys are simply so much better than in college. I don't know whether its simply a matter of getting some experience. I don't pretend to know whether the "vision" or anticipation great backs have can be acquired or whether its instinctual - if I had to guess I would say instinctual. Either you've got it or you don't. Gale Sayers didn't learn it. He himself says it was God given. IMO same applies to Chris Johnson. I have not seen any of that from Spiller so far. Obviously everyone on this board wants the kid to succeed big time, and maybe he will fulfill all expectations. However his demonstrated inability at this level to find (or create through directional changes)the holes bears watching and is a cause for concern. To say otherwise is just to bury one's head in the sand.

He was at his comical best all day long. When he is really on top of his game he is ineffective. Anything less than his best effort and he is a liability.

IMO there was both offensive and defensive pass interference on that play. Corner first interfered with Boldin before the ball arrived and Boldin interfered with Corner when Corner caught the ball. What happens if both players are guilty of a foul? Replay the down? At least the Ravens lost a down, though it didn't make a difference.

Following what I think was Fletcher's last game as a Bill (in any event after the close loss to Vince Young & Tennessee)Fletcher was interviewed and asked specifically about the chances of his remaining a Bill. He said that his folks were having discussions that involved "Mr Wilson" and he said that he hoped "Mr. Wilson" would understand that as a player he (Fletcher) only had so many chances to look after himself and his family i.e. he needed to be paid, having proven his value. Now as football fans we are for the most part interested observers and outsiders. That means that we have to piece together what information we have and try to fashion logical conclusions based upon all we know - what players said, whats reported in the media, what we observe to be a course or pattern of conduct on the part of management/ownership. You can call that fabrication if you like. I prefer to call it an informed guess or a speculation. All of us, perhaps you excepted of course, do it because that is all we can do. But lets have it your way - yes, I am so compltely non compis mentis that I believe Buddy Nix should have extended Fletcher, even though he was not in a position to do so at the time. Furthermore, the Bills back then had no interest whasoever in having players who represented quality veteran leadership on the team, and, last but not least, we will take Buddy's comments at face value: he firmly believes Kelsay is a good football player. Feel better?

Of course Buddy could not extend London Fletcher. Did not say or imply that he could. Ralph Wilson did not want Fletcher because his contract was up and he was going to have to pay to keep him. Ralph Wilson likes Kelsay and thats the real reason he got an extention. Its not so much Buddy I'm talking about as the Buffalo Bills. The point remains that if the Bills (not necessarily Buddy) really wanted quality veteran leadership, Fletcher was a better candidate for an extension than Kelsay. BTW out of respect for Buddy I prefer to interpret his statements re Kelsay along the following lines "Look, we all know the guy's a bum but the old man likes him, we can cut his a$$ anytime, he will never reach his incentives of course (cause hes a bum, like I just said)and he won't cost us much money or interfere with our development program, so lets just put this behind us and get on with it." Now, if you disagree with that and prefer to take Buddy's comments literally, which out of respect for Buddy I personally won't do because I think he is smarter than that, think about the consequences to the Bills, specifically, that the man who will be presiding over football operations, likely the next three drafts and free agency, actually believes that Kelsay is a good player. After the last ten years I just cant let myself go there.

The only semi-cogent argument I have heard for extending Kelsay, one specifically endorsed by Buddy, is that a young team needs veteran leadership and the young ones need to understand what the team expects both on and off the field. In a sort of contradictory vein, the aside often repeated by apologists for the move is that he can have his a$$ cut at any time and it won't cost the Bills much money. Well I think I remember a veteran leader who exemplified all the core values the team could endorse. In addition, unlike Kelsay, he was a superior player. I mean London Fletcher. I guess the only difference then, outside of on the field performance, is that Fletcher would have cost more money. So really its maybe just about money.

The same Mark Schlereth who used to piss himself during games and thought he was putting one over on the fans who would never guess what he was up to? What an a$$.

The only bright spot I can see is your avatar.

The real problem is that Bills drafts have not been managed by football professionals. They have been directed by a poltergeist impersonating the VP of college scouting, with the assistance of Satan's little wizards, impersonating the rest of the front office, and who are collectively hell bent on irritating human beings, specifically Bills fans. No other explanation can plausibly account for the goings on at OBD.

Right. Howard has some ability and may be the type of player who can grow his skills at the next level. These types of later round and undrafted players who improve while transitioning to the pro level are what all successful teams find and develop. Its all about how they project at the next level and it is often impossible to predict. Howard may well still be here when (if) the Bills finally get to turn things around.

There is no basis whatsoever for comparing Cam Newton to Tebow, especially in the area of intangibles, which as we know professional evaluators seem to assign a lot of importance to. Tebow, whether he winds up a good pro or not, clearly established himself as one of the greatest leaders in college football history. So far, Cam is just another fantastic college athlete. While it is not necessarily fair to a young man who made a stupid mistake and may be a lot beter than that, Tim Tebow never stole a computor. They are very different people and personalities, as should be expected.

Everybody has their Bills draft day story. Mine is that in early April of 2006 I was at a conference in Boston. The guy sitting next to me at dinner was a doctor from Eugene and a huge U of O fan and a very knowledgeable college football fan. Many mocks had the Bills picking Ngata so I asked him what he thought. He was aware that Ngata was believed to be coming to Buffalo and he said "You know, you Bills fans are about to draft the best college player available in this year's draft." I didn't know then what we all know now about Ngata so I asked him why the guy was said to take plays off occasionally. He said "I know its been reported, but he never ever takes plays off. What happens is he routinely gets double and even triple teamed". I left the table feeling really good about the guy we were about to draft. Now, what you need to understand is that the people responsible for pickin em at recent Bills drafts are not negligent, or incompetent or even willfully blind. They are in fact collosal perverts who,I believe, are doing it on purpose just to drive us crazy. And that spreadsheet your thinking of putting together, don't do it, it will drive you crazy.

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.