BigBuff423

To your first point, I agree completely - specifically, that it should be your personal insights and perspective to provide an honest and transparent account of your opinions and beliefs. You are not a political leader or defacto elected representative, you are your own person and to that end, most of us expect nothing else except to be just that - yourself.... To the second point, also agreed...truth is absent emotion and telling it is as such is sometimes difficult to accept, but very few outside the flexible boundaries of Buffalo BILLS' fandom understand what dark days we face and the anxiety surrounding the big question of: stay or go.....either way, thank you for representing appropriately and intelligently....oh, and um, for this forum too I guess. ...

I just don't buy the hype that the BILLS, ala Whaley, would trade so much to get so little in return, if it's not a QB....I think the BILLS see the Draft as quite deep in WR and OLine like just about everybody else, and after an active, and to me intelligent, FA period, they really are slated to solidify those two positions in the Draft...and even though you could argue Watkins demanding a #1 overall pick, I just don't think the BILLS feel the need to do that...Mike Mayock said of Mike Evans that he had the best hands since Calvin Johnson and the guy is a big man who can run, exactly what the BILLS want in a WR...I think they stay put and Draft Evans, get their OL / RT situation in the 3rd or 4th Round, maybe even that Candian football player they hosted who seems to be quite good in the 4th Round and allow BPA dictate their Draft after Evans...I initially thought the BILLS would trade down, and sort of hope they still do, but this Draft is deep and many of the trading partners have multiple picks and can really separate themselves for years if they Draft properly...

+1....boom!

And I really liked the idea of Schwartz as well...however, he had an injury history until last year and bumped around some teams before solidifying a spot with KC last year...so, Williams may have some concerns about getting benched, but he's been playing absent injury and started all last year, so it's a safer bet, I believe...

I wish I understood where all this simplicity is coming from...here's something simple, the NFL maintains rights and privileges over any Franchise that bears its insignia and therefore, holds the trump card for IF and WHEN an NFL Franchise relocates...the owner can't just pick up his toys in the sandbox and go build a new sandbox and have the NFL validate such...it requires NFL approval and that ain't happenin any time soon...will it every happen? Who the hell knows...but an owner CANNOT just move the team without NFL approval...Roger on High answered it saying, "They (BILLS) have a lease", saying until that lease is satisfied, nothing is going nowhere...now, after the lease and the all powerful "opt out" clause six years from now is a different story...but one does not dictate the other and they are two different issues altogether...just because a new owner "can" opt out of the lease, doesn't mean the NFL will *approve* a move to a different city...the opt out was so that if the BILLS were to build a new stadium, they could void the lease and begin use of the new stadium...NOT so a team could move, again which is determined BY THE NFL! People thinking an "owner" can just arbitrarily decide to move a team without NFL approval is forgetting that the NFL *approves* ALL owners as in, King Tut could offer the Wilson family 40 trillion dollars and it would still be based on NFL approval, the Wilson family can't just take the money and run for the hills...even though in such a scenario, I'm SURE the NFL owners would approve something like that b/c no doubt there would be cash in it for them....it's just exhausting and infuriating to see people say things like, "an owner can do what he / she / they want"...it's just not true...this isn't simple capitalism in regards to NFL bylaws...so please, can we kill the idea that the BILLS are moving anywhere in the next 6 years, new owner or not??

+1...not necessarily in your first sentence, but the remainder, I agree. And, might I say, a testament to character when someone can come on this board - who frequents it otherwise - and be honest about their bent and then acknowledge a turn against the grain. Well done Sir.

Had this occurred last year, it would have made total sense...let Vick run the Offense and let Geno learn the system and develop...but, this is as*backwards and would seem to be counter productive for Geno's development...which, hey, great, I'm a BILLS fan and love to see dysfunction from the divisional teams, but woof...

And its entirely possible I'm wrong, so I'll start with that...but my understanding is that in order for ANY NFL franchise to move, regardless of ownership, the NFL HAS to approve it...I believe in large part due to the whole Cleveland debacle decades ago...part of new agreements and given that the NFL has too much to lose by not holding some power regarding its brand...so, I could be mistaken, but even the great Jerrah, couldn't just decide to pick up his Legos and move to LA or wherever if he wanted to, he would need NFL approval prior to moving...could he build a stadium there? Sure, nothing stopping him if the city, county and state permit it...but he wouldn't be hosting any NFL games without NFL's approval and it wouldn't be known as an NFL Franchise until the NFL granted it such....

To your first point, exactly...once all the debris has settled, an owner can apply to the NFL to buy the BILLS and so long as there are no issues of relocation, the NFL owners vote to accept or decline the new ownership and I'm sure the primary issue would be new stadium. As long as the prospective new owner is willing to pony up the dough and has a good plan for a new stadium, can't see the owners standing in the way, for a variety of reasons...not all of them b/c they think it's good for Buffalo or the NFL, but because it's good for THEM and THEIR team...IMO

Um, if I understand you correctly, you said, "but my read is that the new owner can try to move the team", which my response was to move a team the NFL has to approve it, BEFORE the BILLS or anyone else would need to seek an injunction...moving a team would imply the NFL approved it, otherwise the owner is just trying to hire some guys to spray paint the NFL logo on a fake stadium no one will be going to, because, um...there would be no NFL games there....

NFL would have to approve that move and given the lease, that ain't happenin'....NFL is in the business of doing good business, and first question of a prospective owner formulated by the NFL would be, "What are your plans regarding the Franchise and it's location / stadium concerns?"...if it's "moving" the NFL will know straight-away and how to address it...

Great news...and hopefully, this will sign the death knell of all the "BILLS are as good as gone!" B.S. that runs rampant on this board...

+1 Bump

This team is trending in the youthful, yet upward trajectory, and this year's Draft is deepest at a couple positions, including Offensive Line...trading anything more than a 7th round pick is ludicrous in my mind...if it took a 7th to gain a veteran presence and quality depth, fine...but otherwise, this would be a step in a direction that made no sense to me...

I truly believe Carrington is a good football player and solid Defensive lineman, IF and BIG IF, he can stay healthy...that was his main issue here in Buffalo. But IF he stays healthy, I think the Rams just got themselves a good, productive player. Didn't really want to see him go, but saw the writing on the wall when two weeks into FA he didn't sign with Buffalo.

No matter his detractors or mistakes he may have made, this man brought NFL football to the Buffalo region and birthed generations of rabid and loyal fans...the man was not perfect, but he loved the Buffalo BILLS and he loved seeing this team at its pinnacle of success and lamented its tragic descension into the depths of which it has become, on the field...I sincerely wish his family powerful winds of peace and solace in their time of bereavement and pray they can find new hope and new strength when the time is right...God-speed Mr. Wilson, without you and your vision, I might just be a casual fan or maybe, no fan at all...as a fan, I deeply appreciate your commitment to this organization and this region and truly hope the next owner shares all the same passions and devotions to this team that you had....RIP BTW, this topic should be PINNED, if EVER a topic merited such a credit, it's this one....

The relevance of life becomes clear when placed against interests significantly irrelevant in the grand scheme of the cosmos when something so horrific befalls a man. Jim Kelly was not only an incredible football player, he is man who permitted himself the room to grow and develop as a gentleman and contributing member of the human race. He was wild and did some crazy things early in his career and youthful exuberance, but he eventually came to a crossroads his life when he put aside some of those distractions and embraced the opportunity to be a true father and husband and overall, an improved man of the community he calls home. He represents not only much, if not all, that is great about that era of Buffalo BILLS football, but what he did in his life was a microcosm of the football team: he turned around a Franchise stuck in the quagmire of forgotten football lore as he turned his own personal troubles to veritable character strengths fueled by discovering his journey of faith. Jim Kelly has my sincerest thoughts and prayers and as I look across the landscape of our region and state, I see so many living wrong and creating havoc and injuring others while their lives are only threatened by their own selfishness or stupidity, yet there lies Jimbo; fighting for his life when he has rectified previous personal wrongs and in acts of personal contrition shown this region his true heart. The line between his family and his fans are often blurred, not by us, but by him because he cares so much…oh, if only that were the greatest sin of so many…best wishes Jim and I pray for solace, strength, and comfort to you and your loved ones in your time of suffering and hopefully, eventual triumph.

It would also provide the BILLS with options to disguise certain looks, schematically it provides some opportunities to "shell" the pieces...also, that versatility would allow the Defense to adjust to the Offensive alignment and moving the pieces helps keep the best players on the field, in one respect or another...either way, it's not a "we don't know what the hell we're doing" approach, it's more of a "we're going to put the best players in position to succeed" approach...it's about damn time...now, if Offensive the BILLS could match that philosophy....

I can't argue what you knew when Aikman, Manning, or Elway came out and began their NFL careers...but I can answer your hypothetical question for myself. I would NOT, I repeat NOT, trade EJ *this* year for the 1st overall pick...for the very reason you highlight in that the BILLS just don't know what, if anything, there is in Manuel. What I truly believe I personally DO know, is that EJ is already a year and step ahead of the Rookie QB class for 2014, not to mention none of them are Luck, they all have some issues or development challenges. If that's the case, then I'd rather take the guy who has the size, arm strength, and leadership capability for the NFL - given THIS year's Rookie QB class...having said all of that, and I've repeated myself a number of times in other posts, but IF EJ does not demonstrate he has the NFL chops to be the Franchise QB we all hope he can become, then NEXT year, I would not only trade EJ, I would trade everything at my disposal including a kidney, to get the 1st Overall Draft pick so the BILLS could *get* that guy, the Face of the Franchise, b/c so many of the other pieces, and that's not including what will happen in May this year, are in place to contend and be a really good team...JMO

He was great for the community, but was never truly sold on him as a LBer...so I very much wish him well and Pitt is getting a gentleman and great guy for the community...I would much more lament the leaving of Carrington, as I think his best football is in front of him...

You may be right...but couldn't it also be viewed from a different perspective: in that by paying Brady so much, that limited the ability to sign some of their own players and other FAs as well on Defense and a top-flight WR, which other than Moss and their lone Super Bowl appearance but not win, the Pats never truly had...in fact, in their early Super Bowl winning years with Brady, the OPs original point held true...Brady was a 6th round Rookie and the Pats had a great cast of characters on Defense during those first few years with relatively little stardom at the Offensive skill positions....just posing a different spin to basically the same idea...

Mainly b/c there too many other moving parts that require money spent as well...it does cause me to wonder, if the BILLS had Jim Kelly today, could they afford to keep him for the 4 year Super Bowl run? I don't know...one reason why Seattle was so dominant was because they excelled in all 3 phases of the game, while having a young, talented QB run an efficient Offense at essentially a bargain-basement price....when you pay the QB big, it hinders the capacity for th rest of the team to operate to some degree as well.

None in the current NFL roster pickings...here's why: any QB that "could" be had for 2 first round Draft picks, isn't *worth* that much...plus, for 2 firsts, the BILLS "may" be able to Draft up in 2015 with a QB of their choosing, who has nothing but promise and a full career ahead of him, a young man that could very well be the Face of the Franchise, their brand so to speak (again assuming EJ isn't that guy, which we don't know yet - another reason for not giving up 2 firsts for any QB on current NFL roster or any QB projected in this year's Draft)...however, and I've said this several times in other posts, I DO agree the BILLS are primed to be a playoff contender and are virtually two positions away from being that contender: a true outside WR and a QB....the WR should be addressed in this year's Draft - as well as RT - and QB is up in the air, so if EJ - FOR ANY REASON, INJURY OR OTHERWISE - is not that guy, then next year you trade the farm, the cattle, the wife and kids and every bit of real estate and asset you own to get *THAT* guy, the QB of the future for the BILLS b/c so many of the pieces really are in place and this Draft should yield some really great talent for years to come.

To me, this tells me they want to trade back and gather more picks in a very deep Draft, but want some insurance for production at the outside WR position...and to not force the Rookie WR to be "the" guy on the outside... BTW, I would pass (pun intended) on Britt...no thank you...best wishes, just somewhere else...now, having said that, if he wears the BILLS uniform, of course I'd support him and hope his head has been surgically removed from his arse and he can play with passion while remaining a gentleman off the field...

Boom... +1