2003Contenders

Boyd is also very good friends with EJ -- so could be a decent chemistry pickup as a QB3 or practice squad option.

As bad as our memory is of Mike Williams, this actually is not true. Big Mike was actually a pretty decent RT his rookie year, when he started from Day One. The big problem for him was conditioning and an inability to play through pain. He regressed badly in his second year -- and everything went downhill from there.

Tim Graham is reporting that Jim Kelly joined one of the 8 bidders -- but doesn't know which one.

With all due respect to Mr. Brady, he was NOT the key factor in the Bills' losses to the Pats last year. Better clock management in the first game, and the Bills win that one. The second game was all about the defense's inability to stop Blount.

Well, there are a couple of things to remember here: 1. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just because many draftniks have Martin ranked as the 4th best OT in the draft, that does not mean that the Bills do. Where did E.J. rank among QBs according to these draftniks last year? Behind Nassib by most accounts. I would have to say that Marrone and Hackett probably had more insight into Nassib's prospects as an NFL QB than would the Mel Kipers of the world, for example. 2. Who is to say that the 4th best OT isn't worth a top ten pick? In last year's draft the top two picks were both OT -- and many observers feel that the top three OTs in this year's draft are better than those top two last year. He does seem to fit the mold of the sort of linemen that the Bills have drafted successfully over the last 3 or 4 years. His ceiling s not as high as that of the top 3 OTs -- but his floor may be higher than any of them other than Mathews. That is to say that he probably has a much less likley bust factor than either Robinson or Lewan. In fact, I could see the Bills shocking many by taking him even if Lewan is still on the board. I am not advocating taking Martin at the #9 pick. In fact, if the Bills really feel that he is the BPA at #9, I really hope they at least try to trade down, because I suspect they can still get him later in the round.

One crazy thought... There is a certain QB who threw all those passes to Mike Williams in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The same QB that the Bills seriously pursued last fall when EJ went down with the knee injury during the Browns game. The same QB who is still on the market and can be acquired for a league-minimum contract.

Sounds good. Now, lets just hope that the 3 QBs go in the top 8 so that at least one of the 6 you mentioned is still on the board.

Yea, be interesting to see the contract details. At the start of the day the Saints only had a bout $2M in cap space. Obviously they are going to have to make some moves to consummate a deal with Byrd.

I will never forgive Modrak for that one. Passed over him for Maybin because he didn't like Texas players.

Given where he went to school, obviously the guys in the front office have plenty of inside intel on him. He is about as can't-miss of a prospect as we will ever see and fills a position of need. If he is still there at 9 (which I doubt), I think the Bills run to the podium to draft him.

I want to withold judgement until the facts come out. (Anyone remember what happened to Warren Moon years ago?) For all we know, Ray's girl was so sloppy drunk that she passed out -- and she was abusing him before she did so. Now, if he did indeed hit her (even if she hit him first) then I hope he gets prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

That is a nice way of saying that the Bills could use help EVERYWHERE, which means going BPA with each pick.

Wonder why he didn't just retain Norv.

I thik the Bills are serious and sincere about trying to bring Byrd back. Brandon's demeanor here, I think, spells that out. In the past, when they were not intererested in meeting a player's financial demands, the MO of the team has been to vilify the player in the press. I do not see that here. If Byrd really wants to play for the Bills and he has reasonable contractual demands, a deal can get worked out.

The Graham pick was one of Tom Modrak's parting shots. His decade of ineptitude was characterized by multiple "I want to show everyone how smart I am" selections that defied conventional wisdom. It will take another draft or two to cleanse the team of all of his missteps. Is it any wonder that Donahoe's first draft -- the only one WITHOUT Modrak -- was by far his best. All that said, I wonder how great Hilton would be now with the QBs the Bills have rolled out there the last 2 seasons rather than Andrew Luck.

Count me in the crowd that would like to see the Bills re-sign Chandler. Throwing those 20-25 yard passes to Chandler in the seam was a real strength of Manuel's, and I would actually like to see the team look to bring in another quality pass-catching TE to compliment Chandler. Brady has shown over the years how productive an offense can be with multiple TE options.

For the record, I am on board with getting rid of Crossman -- he was a bad hire to begin with given his lack of success in Detroit. But what evidence is there that Crossman is a Marrone crony? Did the two have a prior association prior to the hire this year?

If the Bills are serious about re-signing him, they should make a serious offer that is commiserate with what the top safety in the NFL is making. If Byrd/Parker balk at that, we know that the issue is that they simply do not want to be in Buffalo.

Lewis appears to be smart and decisive. He has a live arm and has shown flashes. What he lacks -- which is what most career backups lack -- is the ability to CONSISTENTLY make plays. Weeks ago I was advocating bringing in a veteran QB in the off-season to help fortify the position, while we wait to see if E.J. can evolve into being "THE" guy. Although Lewis hasn't been in the league that long, I believe he can fill that backup role. I would like to see the Bills lock him up for a few years.

I like this concept of identifying our 4 weakest starters. First, it helps identify that the positions of need are the less galmorous ones: 1. OG 2. LB 3. TE 4. RT I also think that given the proliferation of the passing game these days, you really need more than 2 quality starting corners. So I would add CB to that list as well. I also would welcome a WR who is "open even when he is covered". I am not down on Chandler, but I believe that the offense could really thrive in 2-TE formations. You can find elite players at all these positions in the 2nd or 3rd round in almost any draft class. It is usually the QBs, offensive tackles and defensive linemen that come off the draft board early. This could be another great year to trade down in the draft, depending on what the team does in free agency. Another thing to acknowledge as I look over the team's existing landscape is that the roster really is not all that bad. The team has decent depth and is a classic case of the whole not being as good as the sum of the parts -- the exact opposite of, say, the Patriots. The difference, of course, is a seasoned franchise QB and a Hall of Fame head coach. If Belichick is coaching the Bills and Brady is Qb'ing instead of EJ -- and assuming the rest of the talent is the same -- then the Bills are competing for the #1 seed in the AFC. But neither Brady not Belichick got to where they are overnight. Bill B was fired from his first head coaching gig, and in his first year with the Pats, they were horrible. History can be revisionistic, but there is a reason Brady was a 6th round pick. He became a starter in his second season when Bledsoe got hurt, and the Pats won a lot of ugly games back then thanks mostly to a very strong defense. His obession with winning and commitment to always getting better is why he has evolved into being one of the greatest QBs of all time. Time will tell whether or not either Marrone or EJ has what it takes to get the Bills to the next level. Right now that next level is simply qualifying for the playoffs. Aside from a couple of bad games, the Bills have been in every contest. What they need to do is focus on consistency. Eliminate those bad plays. That goes for the offense as well as the defense. Yes, EJ has accuracy issues -- but I have also seen him thread the needle on a tough pass plenty of times. I honestly believe that the majority of his problems are correctable, mechanical issues. Footwork, in particular. His natural talents, for example, are far superior to Fitz's, who had to put everything into every throw he made. EJ's delivery is mostly effortless by comparison, and I think he still needs to learn that he has to use the proper technique on EVERY pass he throws. I am not opposed to investing a mid-round pick on an upside QB as the Redskins did with Cousins, but it would be INSANE to give up on EJ at this point and draft another QB in the first round in 2014. It will be interesting to see how well he plays in these last 2 games both of which will be aganst division foes with plenty to play for.

Plenty of overreaction here. If there have been rumblings of Marrone losing the locker room that is news to me. So he wants players to do things "his Way"? Is there any head coach that feels differently? In fact, when a new coach comes in it is always better to start off as a hard ass and then possibly ease up rather than doing just the opposite.

Let's bear in mind that the coaching staff is fairly young in NFL terms. Hackett especially -- and I certainly believe that he has progressed during the course of the year. Hopefully, he will continue to do so as he gains experience. Same with Pettine. Remember, he was a DC in name only under Rex in New York. Marrone himself has made some rookie mistakes this season, but I like his demeanor, and I think he has brought a level of toughness to this team that we haven't seen in a lo-o-o-o-ng time. As the young players gain experience -- and missing pieces of the puzzle come into play -- I think the coaching staff will also be rewarded with better performances.

Personally I would like to see the team continue to improve and finish strong. Bonus: play spoiler to Miami and New England. In terms of the draft, let the chips fall where they may.

The key word is "Consistency". The Bills are a talented football team. However, they are also a very young football team in many key areas -- not the least of which is the QB of the offense as well as the QB of the defense (Kiko). The coaches too, of course. As these young men get more experience, I believe (hope) the team will improve, provided everyone is patient enough.

Yep. No coincidence that TD's best draft was his first -- the year BEFORE Modrak got here. The best draft since (time will tell, of course) may very well have been this most recent one -- the first one since Modrak left. The Bills traded down in both drafts -- and I cannot recall a single time they traded down when Modrak was here. Of course, they traded up plenty -- for the likes of Denney, Losman, McCargo, Poz, and Levitre. All of them either busts or guys who never made it past their first contract.