yungmack

Excellent work. Where do you find the time???

I don't see Carr or Bridgewater as much better than QBs on the current roster. Another year or two should clear up the situation. Wilson is another matter: he was well worth taking a chance on.

Not to slag on you, as this is something of a constant theme around here, but just for the hell of it, can you identify a true franchise QB, either drafted or available through a trade or FA signing, who the Bills had a shot at in the last three years? If not, then it's hardly fair to judge Whaley as failing in this regard. That's kind of like blaming Gen. Grant for not using air power in the Civil War. Besides, he might actually have drafted a franchise QB; I think there's still an even chance EJ can be that guy.

It was Thomas, & the question was about "the ultimate game." Of course, Thomas' answer - "If it's the ultimate game, why are they playing it next year?" - was not only dead on accurate but also a high level piece of Existentialism and asked without a drop of humor. I don't remember the reporter's name but I will never forget his look of confusion and even fear. They don't make them like Thomas anymore. And that coolness and anti-establishment sensibility was spread wide among the players of that era, one of the reasons why the NFL was so popular among those who were young at that time, nefore the corporate sheen engulfed the game completely.

Glenn-Williams-Wood-Incognito-Henderson Rex seems to really like Urbik, and in particular as a three-position backup, so I think a lot of guys would have to fail before he'd want to "use him up" as a starter. I think Kouandjio is going to do very well once they get down to business which could make the starting decision more difficult. Miller will have to have a monster camp to move into a starter role this year.

Good to have someone older than me, much older at that. Welcome to the Gowanda of Bills News (I suspect you will easily get that reference)

Been a long winter in O-High-O? Sarcasm meter not working? Yes, the Bills scout the Pac 12. But apparently they have Nix Disease and are overwhelmingly smitten with players from the south/southeast, including a battered and banged up Steward (but hey, Rex knows him...personally), a guy in Darby who was a hair away from a felony indictment twice, and a running back involved with drugs, guns, armed robbery and thumping women. I've got to think there were guys available from schools west of the Mississippi who could have filled those spots.

And he was available to the Bills who apparently are economizing in the Scouting department by having no one assigned to the Pac 12. Instead they pick a WR, an "undersized, underpowered" (aka, caucasian) TE (did we not just get rid of two guys like this?), two, maybe three guys dancing down the line between "boys will be boys" and being felons and, oh yeah, yet another RB.

Why are so many vexed about Kiper's ratings? Who takes him seriously? Seems even the more expert analysts on ESPN disdain him. His next-day explanation remarks are the perfect example of his idiocy: he doesn't see CB as a need but is more than okay with a "big bodied" WR. Right there he is 180 degrees wrong; the secondary is thin in comparison to WR. And I think he completely misses the point of drafting Karlos Williams, which is for ST mainly, with the possibility of using him on D. Finally, the guy uses last year's draft to factor into this year's ranking. Now I could almost accept his strange logic if he would also factor in all the moves the Bills made in the off season because the real point isn't "to win the draft" but to win the Super Bowl, and by that goal, the Bills are in the best shape they've been in since the turn of the millenium. BTW, just because I think Kiper's reasoning (& knowledge of the Bills) is woefully inadequate does not mean I think the Bills had a good draft because I don't. While there was/is a big need at LB and in the Secondary, I am not over the moon about the guys they took, for many reasons, and I think there were better alternatives than Miller, and as much as I am a huge fan of O'Leary, given other needs, I don't believe it was the best use of the very few picks the Bills had to use it on that position.

Thanks for sharing that story with us. It's a good one.

Awesome list, dead-on recap of the original, early 60s Bills. As to the Sestak/Smith carpers, the title of this thread is "You've been a Bills fan too long if...". Clearly the Smith faction hasn't been fans long enough. My first Bills game was the last home game of the original Bills. Too little to remember much except that the adults were all well-dressed. And I was at the first practices of the new Bills on Seymour Knox's polo field. Any old timers remember kegs of beer and hibachis in the aisles at WMS? Drinks at the Grotto bar after the game?

The Bills have a smaller number of draft choices this year and I cannot envision them wasting a pick on one of the QBs that are likely to be available from the mid second round onward. They already have a roster full of those types. I can imagine them putting together a package of draft picks and one or two of their current players to make a trade for a QB upgrade though I don't think they'll do that. They might also pick up one or two lower round picks by trade]ing out of the second if they don't see the right player for a need they have at a second round value. Looking at the roster, it looks like WR and RB are a couple of areas they don't need to shore up this year. The D line looks set, backups included. If the front office believes the trouble with the Oline was more about Marrone than it was with the players, then I doubt they'll make an O lineman a draft priority. Which leaves LB, S, CB and TE as the areas where they could use some depth. Or at least those are the areas that make me the most nervous.

Funny

"Better QB play." Wow. Thanks, Howard, I knew there was a flaw with this team we were overlooking here.

Whether or not Glenn's agent would get involved if he was kicked inside, Glenn himself is likely to be a very pissed off guy. Would you want to start the Rex Regime with a sullen, angry or holding-out player of Glenn's caliber? And on top of that, it would be extremely idiotic to move one of the better LTs in the league and replace him with a sophomore player who was, at best, adequate at RT.

Excellent posts, Bandit.

Last I looked, we already had a roster with more than enough "developmental" QBs.

Here we go again... You know April Fool's Day is still a way off, don't you?

Um, Matt Cassell?

I'm scratching my head and trying to recall the players Whaley has overpaid in this,his second FA and draft season and for the life of me, I can't think of one. Brandon Spikes? Chris Williams? There have to be at least several of them for it to be regarded as a "modus operandi," don't you agree? I need a little help here, Negativo. Give me the names of these over payed fat cats please.

I watched a panel discussion on football concussions this weekend on C SPAN where it was mentioned that Pop Warner participation was down 10% in just the last five years. This is in addition to a general migration of kids from football to soccer and other sports that has been going on for at least a generation. I think the sports bigger challenge is declining enthusiasm among young men as plain fans. I have noticed that even young men who played the game don't seem to follow it with the passion I and every other guy did 20 and 30 years ago. There are still plenty of young fans and young players but I believe the trend is headed down.

I don't think the line has been somehow overlooked by the front office. I trust they'll get this resolved long before training camp. I think I'll relax for a few weeks. How about you?

Wasn't he let go from Seattle because he was a locker room cancer?

Say, "Thank you, Buddy."

You are dead on the money. And thanks for getting this thread back on the original point.