meistersinger

Part of the issue when discussing Allen versus the others is who is more ready today. I expect that if all 4 guys are starting on opening day in 2018, Allen will look the worst of the lot, because he is simply not as polished. But the Bills are looking further ahead - who will be the best QB on opening day of 2020? There is no way of knowing for sure, of course, and it's possible they liked both Darnold and Mayfield better than Allen (we'll never know). But it is very very possible that Allen will be the guy with the best long term future. If Allen is the best long term guy, then I am thrilled with the pick. If Rosen or Jackson or Rudolph has a better career than Allen then I will say we blew it.

I'd like to see a Tom Brady poster in his room. And Sam Darnold and Ryan Tannehill. Why waste his talents rooting for a team outside the division?

As for the first part of the question, I do not believe Allen would have been there at 12 if we just stayed put. It's possible Rosen might have been, since Arizona might have traded up and taken Allen leaving Rosen. It's also possible that teams like New England or New Orleans might have traded up to 10 or 11, but couldn't put together enough to get to 7, so as the guy keeps falling, more teams are now willing to pay the smaller price it takes to move up and get him. Or possibly Miami liked Allen but didn't like Rosen - if Miami offered their 1 and 2 to TB, both picks being better than our 1 and 2, we would obviously have to beat that price to make the deal. Maybe Miami didn't make that offer but TB told us they did - then Beane got snookered. Or maybe TB heard that this was the offer we gave to Denver, so if we were willing to give up that much for Allen to Denver, why not give the same thing to TB for Allen? Did we overpay by giving up 2 second rounders? I think that is a yes, but some times you have to do that. A lot depends on how enthusiastic they were for Allen. These were the possible options the Bills could have offered: (point values come from a commonly referenced trade chart) Both firsts - Pick 12 for 1200 points, pick 22 for 780 points, total of 1980 1 first plus 2 seconds - Pick 12 for 1200, pick 53 for 370, pick 56 for 340 - total of 1910 1 first plus 1 second plus 1 third - Pick 12 for 1200, pick 53 for 370, pick 65 for 265 - total of 1835 1 first plus 1 second - Pick 12 for 1200, pick 53 for 270 - total of 1570 - this would have been fair value at this point. Here are the points needed for various picks 4 - 1800 points 5 - 1700 points 6 - 1600 points 7 - 1500 points It has been reported that the Bills had an agreement with both the Browns and the Broncos for a deal - at a minimum, that would have required at least our first pick in each of the first, second and third rounds to get Cleveland to say yes. I doubt Cleveland would have considered any deal that did not include both firsts - they already have a huge pile of picks, so no need to stockpile more in the later rounds. Basically, I think Beane had arrived at the conclusion that he would be willing to give up 1 first and both seconds to Denver in order to get Allen. Once he decided he would give up that much for Allen, don't think of it as trading for a "pick" but trading for a "player". Presumably, we would not have given up that much for any other elite player on the board like Chubb or Barkley, even though the point value would have been the same. The Bills need for a QB, coupled with the Bills determination that they liked Allen a lot more than Rosen, forced them to pay up. And it's possible they liked Allen better than any QB, including Mayfield and Darnold - neither of whom are sure-fire can't-miss prospects either. So if they were really getting the best QB in a QB rich draft, then that would be a small price to pay.

I didn't watch either. I feel exactly the same as you. I didn't expect officiating favoritism in the SB, there's too much interest there. And I don;t think the league much cares who wins, just who gets in. They think Brady is ratings gold. Maybe he is in general. But after the proven cheating, coupled with the sometimes ridiculous officiating, I just don't care any more.

Doesn't matter to me. I am sick and tired of the league favoring the Patriots. The only way to put a stop to it is to not reward the league with my eyeballs when the Patriots are playing. I didn't read a single article about the SB before the game or watch a minute of any pregame hype. No squares, no prop bets, nothing. I've moved on from hating the Patriots to simply not caring. I feel the same way about Professional Wrestling except I never cared about that.

Didn't watch. Extremely happy the Eagles won.

They might if that left more money for the other players on the team. Being a vet with 4+ years of experience but not a super star is pretty tough now a days. But absolutely, no way would they let the total pie shrink.

It is simply unforgiveable that any network would bid on the national disgrace that is Thursday night football. Please, MAKE IT STOP!!

My thoughts exactly. That's what I did after the Giants beat the Pats and I didn't watch those games either.

Put me in the I don't care camp. I haven't watched a single minute of pre-super bowl hype or read a single article about either team. I definitely won't watch the game. Not out of hatred - out of apathy.

I really have no interest in it at all.