R. Rich

At least somebody likes me! Heck, even my wife has said she favors the posts of someone other than me. Oh well. I am concerned with the way things have been going around here. I can only hope there is a turnaround.

Who am I that you need to feel worthy for? You aren't the only one who has noticed the 'sanity level' around here. It makes it tough to find a reason to come back here. Thing is, I have many good friends that I've made here and I wouldn't want to lose touch with them. For that reason, I don't think I could just 'give up' TBD.

I've posted a couple scenarios over in the Mock Draft forum. Feel free to check it out. I'm working on a list of different positions now, as I have mainly been looking at guards, centers, some tackles, and linebackers.

I haven't really thought of that one, Bill. We do need at least a solid 3 man rotation at CB (see the Pittsburgh game), but we also have talent AND depth issues in other areas and, I fear, the pick to accompany Henry would be too high to relinquish. And please, DO NOT give up any future picks for Surtain!

Far from the madding crowd.

Columbo's: Peach Black Cherry Parfait White Chocolate Raspberry Strawberry in that order.

It was nice to see you again at the Steelers game. Have a great one!

There's one born every centon.

What's a blog?

Happy Monday

As Sir Homer of Simpson might say.... "I get jokes."

Bleedsoe the starter fro next year?????

*Did the season ever end? I wonder. I see a whole lot of the same issues from the season being passionately debated (seemingly non-stop) here. The tone has gotten a bit more acerbic, but the content is much the same. I took a look at Harvey's post about the "clueless" Losman fans/bashers. By the way, good post, Harv. There was one in there I found that summed up the tone of the debate quite nicely: You're onto something there, Nanker. **I've read a few different posts about what the Bills should do in free agency and the draft. I'm sure a lot of you know that I think it's important to upgrade the offensive line. That should be first and foremost. I just hope this is the year we aggressively pursue this. We haven't had a dominant OL here in Buffalo since we let Will Wolford and House Ballard go. Which brings me to another point... ***Draft a kicker with our highest draft pick??? That just doesn't make sense to me. I guess I could see it IF we were to go out and do something like: 1. Sign Tra Thomas to play LT 2. Sign a top LG prospect like Jermaine Mayberry or Marco Rivera 3. Sign a good CB like Jason Craft, Aaron Beasley, or Gary Baxter to give us a solid nickel CB to help out against multiple WR sets 4. Sign a pass rushing LB to either replace Posey or be a situational player If we still have any of these issues going into the draft, selecting a kicker first would solve nothing. After all, the 3 kickers who are arguably the best in the NFL-David Akers, Mike Vanderjagt, and Adam Vinatieri-were all UNDRAFTED!!! ****Happy birthday to Drew Blesoe. I don't think he should be our starting QB, but he is a great guy and did have some success leading our team. Happy birthday to Jim and Hunter Kelly. Jim is the best QB we've ever had and a guy whose leadership we truly miss. I hope both are well and enjoy thier day.

Barnes is okay, even though he seemed to struggle a bit at the Senior Bowl. Still, he's got good upside and I wouldn't be upset to see Buffalo take him. I'd rather have Wesley Britt, but I'm sure he'll be gone by our pick. He's the first player taken in the 2nd round in this mock. It was interesting to see Michael Boley taken after our pick. He's a terrific pass rusher and should at least be considered with the 2nd round pick if the guys they like are gone. We certainly could use a great pass rusher and I'm sure the Bills won't draft another DE, which would be like admitting they blew it with Denney and Kelsay.

No, it certainly doesn't make sense to disregard needs in the pass rush, secondary, and on the OL for the sake of another WR. If the Bills can find a steal at WR, that would be fine. But, they really need to address the OL this year. We're looking pretty good at the so-called 'skill positions' and we're not on the line. We're not that talented and certainly not very deep. I still hope we land a good free agent at either LT or LG. I would prefer to see us sign Tra Thomas at LT, then look to draft a good LG prospect in the 2nd or 3rd round. I'm also hoping we land a center to either push for the starting job or to provide quality depth. Before the Senior Bowl, I would've said a guy to look at that might be available for the Bills at WR was Fred Gibson, but he had a very good game and looks to be playing himself out of the Bills range. But, you never know.

You can forget Clayton dropping to the late 2nd, Norfan. With the way he's been producing (great week of practice before the Senior Bowl and played okay in the game), he's first round material for sure. I could see a team like Baltimore taking him if he's available and guys like Braylon Edwards and Mike Williams are long gone.

Iowa is getting better at recruiting in PA than Penn State! They were able to get 2 guys from my hometown of Erie PA and both have had stellar college careers. Bob Sanders is now with the Indianapolis Colts after an All-America career at Iowa and Jovon Johnson is currently an honorable mention All-Big 11 corner for the Hawkeyes. They also seem to do pretty well recruiting in Ohio and New Jersey as well.

Nice. I like both Boley and McCune. I've had the opportunity to watch both players this past season and I would be happy to see the Bills end up with either or both. If Gibson has as good a combine workout as he did a Senior Bowl, you can count him out as a 3rd round option. He was impressive in that game. I still like Jason Brown better than the other options at center, but if he's gone, I'd consider Junius Coston of North Carolina A&T before Mruczkowski. Here's how I'd rate them: 1. Brown 2. Chris Spencer of Mississippi 3. Ben Wilkerson of LSU 4. Coston 5. Mruczkowski I'm still not too sure of Wikerson due to his knee injury. If he's completely healed, he'd be a steal in the 3rd. Otherwise, I'd go after Brown.

There are LSU fans who are saying F*** Perrilloux as well, ever since it was discovered that he's driving around in a $50,000.00 (or so) SUV and was reportedly kicked out of one high school for behavior problems. I hope he's past all that and plays up to his potential.

Jones sounds like a real find, though he is light for a college DE. I wonder if he'll bulk up or if he'll move to LB? Maybe he'll be redshirted? I'll be watching to see what happens with him.

PSU did very well recruiting this year. PSU Recruits 2005 They were able to get Jerome Hayes' LOI today, and that was huge. This kid can play! He was a two-way star in high school (also played RB), but will probably be used at LB. With him and Sean Lee coming aboard, Penn State is getting some solid depth at LB. I like the direction they're heading. Cushing, from what I've heard, faxed his LOI to USC today around noon. We weren't even in the running (down to Miami, USC, and Boston College).

Where was Perrilloux the top recruit overall, Cajun? In the Rivals top 100, he is the 2nd QB they have listed. If you have a link to another scouting site, let me know. Also, see what you can find out about Al Jones, a DE that has committed to the Tigers.

This one is just a slight variation on my first one. I'm taking into consideration that we sign a new LT, hopefully Tra Thomas, and acquire a veteran CB to help us match up against 3-4 WR sets-preferably someone like Jason Craft or Aaron Beasley. Here's my latest mock draft for the Bills: 2nd round: Rian Wallace (LB; Temple) A very good pass rusher who may develop into a good every-down LB and push Posey for the starting position on the strong side. 3rd round: Jason Brown (C; North Carolina) Strong as a bull and technically sound. His footwork will need work (he's slow), but he's a solid prospect. 4th round: Anthony Bryant (DT; Alabama) Big guy who can be a monster run stuffer. He's not a great pass rusher, but will definitely help shut down the interior rush lanes. 5th round: Junius Coston (C; North Carolina A&T) Solid athlete. Raw, but full of potential. He has played center, guard, and tackle, so he's versatile enough to provide depth at all 3 line positions. 6th round: Karl Paymah (CB; Washington State) Big, physical corner with pretty good coverage skills. The knock on him is his speed (4.5 range), which will drop him some, but shouldn't rule him out. As a nickel/dime back, especially when not used in press man coverage, he can do well. 7th round: Rhys Lloyd (K; Minnesota) Strong leg and is clutch. What he needs is a good coach to get him focused on being a solid kicker and KEEP him focused. Any doubts that Bobby April can't accomplish this?

Some are players at positions of need (hence the large number of OL/LBs listed) while others are players I think could be available for the Bills in the draft.

Here's a few players I'll be watching closely: QB Charlie Frye RB Kay-Jay Harris RB Zach Tuiasosopo WR Craig Bragg WR Fred Gibson OL David Baas OL Wesley Britt OL Elton Brown OL Jason Brown OL Junius Coston OL Marcus Johnson OL Chris Myers DL Anthony Bryant LB Michael Boley LB Alfred Fincher LB Robert McCune LB Lance Mitchell LB Kirk Morrison LB Cornelius Wortham DB Alphonso Hodge