yungmack

Modrak might have been the front man for the draft pick, but do you really believe he was the guy who actually made the pick? I seriously doubt that.

Actually, he said that about the ILBs. But this draft is loaded with DLs and really doesn't have a premier ILB so I agree with your underlying belief that the #3 will be DL. If he's there at 3, they'll take Dareus.

Great post. My only quibble was your remark about Troup. Who's giving up on him? I thought he had a pretty good rookie season, certainly better than, say, Maybin or McCargo. And I'd add that Nix is convinced that Merriman is good to go this year.

Philly would give up Kolb AND additional players, draft picks, etc. to move to number 3? What does that tell you about their assessment of Kolb's ability?

No rational person denies Mallet has talent. The reason he's pretty much off the radar right now is the list of off-field (character) issues. And they're serious ones if true.

I agree with both of your points, particularly if Dareus is gone.

John Roberts, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is also a Buffalo native AND a Bills fan. Should this case make it that far...

Um, you just told us more than I needed to know about your marriage in one paragraph. I can only imagine if you had a whole book to fill.

Does anyone know to a certainty that MS wanted the job with the Bills, or that he lobbied for it? Did Wilson, Nix or Shottenheimer ever come out and say so? The only quote about the Bills HC job I ever heard Marty make came several years ago when he made it clear he'd never, ever want to coach the Bills.

According to Chris Brown's blog, Gailey and his assistants were at OBD to meet with Fairley, Ponder and Houston. http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2011/03/31/draft-prospects-meet-staff/

At the State of the Bills dinner, Buddy was talking about scouting players, bringing them in for interviews, etc, when he said this: "Everybody's trying to rob the same train."

It is not a statement; it's something that both Nix and Gailey have said and which I was summarizing. As those two guys have forgotten more about professional football than I'll ever know, and because they've been honest with their statements right along, then I think I'm going to put more confidence in their assessment than in your "WOW."

This, and his lingering injury, are the two reasons I'd pass on this guy. Going from 4 sacks over two seasons to 15 last year makes me wonder about his motivation (did he more or less dog it his first two years? Did he decide to give it his all last year to impress the NFL? Will this guy become another unmotivated guy like Mike Williams once he has that fat contract? I don't know. But he worries me).

This is a pretty good thread. All sides are making intelligent points. How refreshing that is. Underneath the arguments, there is an understanding that, if there is a franchise QB in this draft (a huge, huge IF, in my opinion), then you take him. But no one on this thread (so far) believes Newton or Gabbert fit that designation.

I have yet to find a false quote from Nixley in over a year that they've been with the Bills. Unlike, say, Bellychickie, who is a congenital misleader, Gailey and Nix have consistently been honest. So I'm puzzled by a certain element around here that thinks they're lying now...about Fitz, about defensive needs, etc. So let me paraphrase what both Nix and Gailey have repeatedly said about the QB situation: QB trumps all other positions on the team. Fitz is a really good QB and the Bills can win a championship with him. At this time, QB is NOT the most important need. BUT, when you're drafting at #3 (a position they hope they're never in again), you have to make this pick count. AND if there is a chance to get a ten or twelve year franchise-level QB, then you must take him. THEREFORE, we are doing our due diligence by deeply studying the QBs available this year. I believe that sums up the Nixley statements. And based on their past honesty, I have no reason to start thinking they're now lying to the fans. There is, however, a possibility that their apparent interest in a QB is meant to panic a team further down that really does need a QB now (Cincy, Arizona, Minnesota) to trade up with them in the event that the player they want at #3 is gone when they pick.

Your post sums it up perfectly.

Excellent, and I couldn't agree more. The Bills offense is in no danger of becoming The Greatest Show on Turf. But it is "good enough" for now. And maybe even a little bit better than that if what you imagine comes to pass: another year in the system, Spiller "getting it," the line settling in, and so on. Maybe that doesn't happen, but it's at least plausible. On the other hand, no one can imagine the Bills defense we saw last season suddenly becoming "good enough." Which is why, if Dareus is there at #3, and the Bills take Cam Newton, I think I will power drive my head through the nearest wall.

A good defense forces more 3-and-outs. That means less chances for the opponent to score and more chances for your offense to score. While it doesn't guarantee that outcome, it sure improves the odds. Go back and look at the 2010 season and imagine what even a middling defense would have meant to the Bills record. To me, the key to improving the Bills offensively is to improve the defense.

First off, who exactly is this young QB that's going to be "developed" behind Fitz? All I see are a lot of "maybe" guys in this draft. Second, as to paying Fitz franchise QB money, the only way that happens is if other teams see him that way and bid up his next contract. If, as you believe, he is NOT a franchise QB, then that won't happen. However, there is a fly in that particular bucket of ointment, that the Bills improve enough that other teams indeed start noticing. In any case, I agree that a franchise QB should definitely be on the Bills wish list. It's just that I don't see one in this year's draft, though I coming more and more to think that Ponder might be a middle-of-the-draft pick who could really help the Bills.

Interesting article on the criteria Bill Parcells uses to determine QB rankings. Might be a bit outdated with so many guys coming out of college early these days, but still... http://blogs.thescore.com/nfl/2011/03/17/how-this-drafts-quarterbacks-stack-up-using-the-parcells-rules/

Best assessment of the situation I've read around here.

I keep saying this until I'm blue in the face but here goes again: Yes, the Bills and about twenty five other teams would love to have a "franchise QB." Now, where exactly is this QB supposed to come from? Because to me, there isn't one in this draft who is worthy of the #3 pick. And if there isn't one worthy of that pick, and the team has other, more pressing needs, why in the name of Ralph wouldn't you grab one of those players instead of wasting time rubbing a magic lamp and hoping Newton, Gabbert, Mallet, etc. will somehow, someway, through abracadabra become our salvation. In the meantime, Nix has said that the Bills will add a QB. My choice, if he is available in the mid rounds, is Ponder. I'm also intrigued with Dalton.

The Bills top need is a tight end? Who are you, Rudolph's agent? Because not a single analyst I've read, not even McShay or Kiper, has come remotely close to that assessment. I love Rudolph and would like to see him with the Bills, but he ain't the top need, not even close.