yungmack

Gotta love this line from EJ right after the pick: "I wanted to go to Buffalo."

Your post went up today so you must know that the Bills did sign another QB, one they feel has more of an upside than Aaron Corp as a potential development project. So you got your two QBs in the draft, just not Nassib. BTW, this doesn't apply to just you, but there is some serious undervaluing of Kevin Kolb in your thinking.

Wow, this is weird. A friend of mine who has a strong connection to the FO of one of the NFL's top franchises said this to me a couple of weeks ago: "So you guys are trying to move, Williams, huh?" I thought he meant Aaron Williams but he said, no, Kyle Williams. I didn't post that rumor here as it sounded kind of nutty. But in the wake of the draft, as the type of defense Pettine seems to be shooting for rounds into shape, it no longer seems out of the question the Bills might try to move a player who's getting a bit old, seems to get hurt a little too often, and might be seen as maybe a little costly going forward. I honestly still don't think it's going to happen but it no longer seems out of the question. As to Stevie, I can't see them getting rid of him this year because that would leave them with TJ as the only receiver with NFL game experience, unless you think Brad Smith can fill Stevie's shoes. Now that would be nutty.

The Senior Bowl is big time important to setting a perception of a player's value. That's where EJ opened eyes. "Falling in love" with a player is what happens there. So the Bills came away feeling like Sheppard was a good pick? No surprise. Also, keep in mind he was drafted to play MLB in a 4/3. That seems to be pretty much his wheelhouse. It seems Pettine is going to play 3/4, 4/3, 4/4/3, 46 & maybe even Tampa Two on any given down - and this is important - he wants to be able to do it as much as possible without substituting. Don't know if Hughes can do that but for sure Sheppard can't.

They did bring Doug Whaley to Buffalo.

Although Goodwin had a much smaller role than Austin did at WVU, their physical measurables seem very close. And they both seem to have good hands and an ability to get open. So you might think that at least one draft guru would have criticized the Rams-Bills trade saying something like "they could have gotten an Austin clone in a later round with Goodwin." Instead, they seem to universally praise the Rams for being "smart" while on the same trade basically calling the Bills idiots for trading down, picking up a couple of extra picks AND getting the QB they wanted. Yes, I know Austin had the bigger career and all that. I'm just pointing out that the grounds upon which the Bills have been excoriated are that they panicked and picked EJ too early, that they could have taken "someone really good that filled a bigger need" at 16 and still gotten EJ in the third or fourth round. Funny how the Rams are brilliant and the Bills are dummies, eh?

Even taking into consideration the certain percentage of knuckleheads posting here, the overall quality of evaluation by a bunch of amateurs on TBD is generally more insightful and accurate than the majority of th so-called experts, especially Kiper and McShameful.

What else do you think? 19-0

It sure looks like you're correct. At a minimum,they should be fun to watch. And vicious.

Thanks for the morning laugh!

This is, I think, the most plausible scenario. Fans (and the media for that matter) need to forget the "first round picks have to start" mentality of the last couple of years. Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, RGIII and even Russell Wilson were in situations where the starters role was wide open. And they were all starter-ready. Right now, Manuel is more of a "high-end prospect" than he is an NFL-ready guy. I believe he's going to be very good with the Bills. But I wouldn't at all feel bad if the team returns to the old-school approach and "teaches him up." Think of Aaron Rodgers or Colin Kaepernick as the model. Or the anti-model of Mark Sanchez who could have really, really used at least a year learning the position, NFL style. BTW, Marrone certainly had input on the Kolb acquisition so I have to think he sees him as fitting the offense he wants to install with the Bills. And knowing they were going to draft a QB (and quite possibly having already narrowed it down to where Manuel was at the top of their list), I suspect Marrone already planned to have his rookie QB spend time learning rather than rushing him onto the field.

I was looking at the new roster and this jumped out at me on offense: We now have the following starters, EJ at QB, CJ & FJ in the backfield, and SJ & TJ at receiver. Oh, and another TJ at backup QB. Man, I must have too much time on my hands.

Are there any analysts that revisit and regrade three or more years after the draft?

Nicely done, Dog.

Woods is a Los Angeles kid so living in Buffalo will be the first time living away from home. He's also a Catholic school kid (Junipero Serra High where he played with George Farmer and Marqise Lee), and all of us who went to Catholic school know how innocent those grads are (ahem). More seriously, having watched him in nearly every game at SC, these are my takeaways: he's fast, has great hands, makes terrific route adjustments, is an excellent route runner, tough, plays with injuries and doesn't dog it, and fits Buddy's cherished quality of "being open even when he isn't open." He's bright, polite, thoughtful, well-spoken, and there has never been a whisper of character issues. This is a tremendous pick.

:lol:

Why wouldn't it? Aside from Levitre, it's the same personnel, with a healthy Sanders, and Glenn w/ a year's experience under his ample belt. And I'm confident former NFL lineman Marrone will do just fine with seeing to Levitre's replacement.

This concludes one of the best Bills drafts ever. All my objections are quibbles (I would have preferred Keenan Allen over Robert Woods for example). Every pick is solid even that of Meeks, whether I "get it" or not.

My 3 "guaranteed busts" going into the draft were Smith, Glennon and Bray. And wouldn't you know it, the 2nd and 3rd QBs picked were Smith and Glennon. They're on their way to Brady Quinnville.

I completely agree with your posting. Man, the Bills are mutating into a completely new squad.

You may be right though the Bills clearly don't think it's so easy to grab one off the Kicker Tree. Kickers and Punters are the butts of jokes among players, but you'd be hard pressed to find a single highly successful team that's weak in that area.

It's a huge need with the new rules on kickoffs and Lindell isn't getting it done.

Yeah, and he seems to catch everything that comes his way.

On the face of it, a poor pick. But he is from the Deep South so maybe Whaley's been running the draft and this is "throwing a bone" to Buddy.

Good analogy. Leonard was one of my favorite Bills because of his pure joy in knocking guys silly.