Yoho

I am sure you will miss on at least 7 of them. It is just the way it is.

That is a great description and describes one of the problems I have with Draft Player Ratings and Mock Draft. Football is very much a system game. A player may be highly successful in one system (for example, the West Coast Offense) and be a failure at another. Geography and Stadium type (dome versus grass), cold weather versus firm fields in warm weather make a difference in determining the success of players. The Mock Drafts pretty much attempt to rate players based on workouts and reputations and then assigns the players in something close to numerical order of perceived talent. While the drafts often consider positional needs, they rarely address team system needs. It is easy to see why a player who may be #8 in one system might be #22 in another. Fans who are fed all this information by all the "experts" and all the magazines fall into shock when the real draft diverges widely from the Mock Drafts. They judge the draft on how well the players chosen by their team differ from the numerical order ordained by the experts without any consideration of the teams system. What this draft seemed to indicate is that the Bills identified what players they wanted, went out and drafted them and just didn't give a flying fudge what the draft gurus order looked like. We will see.

I can't believe that he posted that third in this thread. There is no way that post has value in that spot. He could have easily posted something else and been able to use that post in the 10 or 11 spot. I am pretty sure a poster like Alaska Darin would have not posted that in that spot. Bad job and typical of our problems here.

Actually Richard Simmons can be very aggressive if you know what I mean.

Whoa, a clever old guy in charge joke. Where did you come up with the idea?????? You should be in Hollywood. I am shamed for a guy named BackinDaDay.

Bill - I really hate reasonable people with reasonable replies. How can I get my days frustration out on the message board if you are going to be rational? I share your frustration on the oline and like Donohoe but felt that his lack of appreciation for line play was his achilles heel. Why did the Steelers pick them when Donohoe was there? Was he being overridden or did his ego get the best of him since he came to Buffalo? I find our free agent signings fascinating. They are all guys under 30 that have not quite lived up to potential. I wonder what Marv's experience is that he believes these guys can blossom. Hell, I wanted Roy Williams over Mike Willaims a few years ago and I was right so I guess I am a draft guru too. Enjoy the season.

That is fair, but I think a lot of us totally underestimate the transition from college to pro. Yes, I watched as many games as I could see last year and of course we know we need an upgrade from Anderson, but still always get amazed how, year after year, the pro scouts get it wrong, that people believe that some unproven draftee could solve our problems. The pro scouts get it wrong 40% of the time, why do any of us think we have a clue. How many people here wanted Mike Nugent last year? The draft is a crapshoot, the good ones hit a little higher perecentage than the incompetents, but anyone that relies on draft picks to make an immediate contribution is fooling themselves.

How can you be possible sure about that? How can you have a clue how a college player will transition to the pros? I love to have opinions, but I am amazed how cocksure some are around here.

Why are you so sure that Ralph did not read the contract and ask his own questions? This man made about a thousand more times money than anyone on this board. Did you think he did this by luck? Why do you assume because he is older he is incapable to read a contract. I am 53, I am starting to discern prejudice from this board, that anyone over 30 is totally incapable. At least, anyone that uses the term "biotch" shoud be disqualified from be taken seriously by anyone with any life experience. Suburban kids who have never been denied anything with an attitude, yeah right.

I think right now Holcomb is the starter with Losman and Nall having every opportunity to step up and beat him out. Holcomb is a known quantity. Known and limited in talent. All either of the others has to do is stand out a little in these practices and they will move up the depth chart. Kind of like having a steady, boring girlfriend and a couple of hotties seeming to be interested. You don't give up the sex with the boring one until you know one of the others is going to put out. Bad analogy but you get the idea.

The ONLY reason why there is still a professional football team in Buffalo is Ralph Wilson. He could have left many times and made considerable more money than he has in Buffalo He has had many offers where he turned down sure money. Imagine Western New York without the Bills. Kind of like "It's a Wonderful Live", finding yourself jumping off a bridge on a cold November afternoon because there was never such a thing as the Buffalo Bills and there was nothing to do and Buffalo was little more than Utica. Ok, maybe that already happened, but at least, we have the Bills.

By the way, the same offseason that the Bills went with Bruce Mathison (because Jim Kelly was in the USFL, but the Bills had the rights), the Bills signed Bruce Smith, drafted Andre Reed and Dick Jauron joined the coaching staff as a defensive assistant. If all off-seasons were that awful.

This is the worst off season in Bills history since they decided to go with Bruce Mathison at QB. 649053[/snapback] Worst off-season in Bills history??????? Why you young whipper snapper. How about in 1967when the Bills traded Lamonica and Miller for Flores and Powell and decided Johnny Pitts was worthy of a # 1 pick? How about in 1969 when we had decided on Baltimore assistant coach, Chuck Noll as our head coach until John Rauch got mad at Al Davis and quit and we snapped him up so he could make O.J a decoy? How about when they let Chuck Knox escape and replace him with who? I think the memorable Kay Stephenson. How about 1985 when they decided to keep Kay Stephenson as coach? How about 1976 when we kept Gary Marangi who ended up with a 30.7 QB rating in 232 attempts and our kickers were John Leypoldt, Ricky Ricardo and Stzyklzk Jakowenko? How about 1982 when the Bills traded up 2 spots to pick Perry Tuttle followed by Matt Kofler, Eugene Marve and Van Williams? I still have hopes for this team. Give me a break.

"Wilson has little credibility left in this way after "also giving his fullest of confidences" to Donahoe who promptly ran his Bills into the ground and set it up for a major-league rebuild failing in spades what was essentially the task of a full rebuild at the time he stepped in. " WOW. This is a cut and paste from the first paragraph. Someone believes this is the definitive article on the quarterback choice? Marv may be 83, but I can guarantee he has enough smarts to discredit anyone who cant write a grammatical sentence. This is drivel.

If I didn't leave when Ron McDole want to the Redskins and Bobby Moore moved on to marry the Cosby mom, I sure am not leaving because some snot nose California kid did not work out.

I predict the Bills pick Winston Justice at #8. It is not Mel Kiper's draft board that counts but the Bills draft board and I have heard they like Justice.

Ok. I will play. My answer is 2006. We have not had the draft and free agency is not over. Let's see what the roster looks like when we begin training camp. Offense will come together behind a power running game. TKO back will reinvigorate the defense. The Special Teams will be the best in the league. The form we showed when we dominated New England in New England for 3 quarters and dominated Miami in Miami will last for 4 quarters due to better coaching. If you want to accuse me of wearing rose colored glasses, you may be right but it is a heck of a lot more fun than gnashing my teeth and playing the doomed game. As some of us old-timers have reminded you, this team is no where near as bad as some we have had in the past. There is hope. Sometimes I wonder how miserable some around here are that they can only play the negative game. Hope it doesn't translate into how you look at life. Go Bills

"Hmmm, I want to add a comment here expressing my dissatisfaction with the actions of the current front office... let me think.... I know, I got it... this will tell the world what I am thinking in a concise and pithy way. It is original yet not too subtle... I will go on-line and type..... The Bills sucked hard Brilliant

I can't believe what I am reading here. Why would we draft Babantude when Moises Wannnabeatackledude might be available in the fourth round. Other potential picks include Lavualle Sape Jr. (his Dad was 8 when he was conceived) or Mahatmigandhi Mockmanyani in the 6th. Kiper has him as a potential sleeper and non-violent pacifist as well. I have watched a lot of game film from last season (actually I watched a lot of Emeril on the Food Network, but it was the show about papaya) and I noticed a trend between Fat Samoans and high motor lineman. I hope Marv can stay up long enought to watch the film (get it... he is old and wants to go to bed early) and that Ralph can remember these pics ( he is really old and probably has memory problems... man I am breaking myself up here with this clever old guy stuff). Unless we get these guys I want we will suck the big one, I mean we will really blow, I mean we are DOOMED. I have given up on next season. Actually, I have given up on all seasons through 2011 because we did not sign LaCharles Bentley or was it LaBently Charles? Either way it is time to put Ralph and Marv out to pasture. Whatever a pasture is?

Be careful what you ask for. When Ralph (or his heirs) sell it may not be to Golisano but some California whiz kid billionaire that wants a new toy in Los Angeles. Off into history like the Buffalo Braves. Ralph could have moved this team numerous times and my guess is gave up some good money not to do so. So, I am sorry that the Bills "suck out loud" as you so elequently put it, but I remain forever in Ralph's debt for giving me 45 years of fall Sundays and frankly providing Western New York whatever little pride that is left.

I do not post here often but have been following this board since Bob Lamb used to post on the Prodigy Board. I believe that would be the mid-90's. Getting on-line included a lot of fax noises and beeps. The thing I am most amazed about is the animosity toward Ralph Wilson and Marv Levy. Yes, THEY ARE OLD. They are also responsible for a football team being (and staying) in Buffalo, New York (Ralph) and the most successful period in Buffalo Bills history (Marv). Neither one of them shows any signs of dementia ( that would be old age) in any way except in Ralph's voice. My guess would be that many here who are making fun have voices that break at the sight of a Mel Kiper scouting report, not to mention a pair of 36-C's.. Every year, so many of you want us to sign every 30-some has been that used to be all-pro and have a fit when it does not happen. We are now in full-blown "we are doomed" mode, before the draft and the end of free agency. Will you at least look at the roster going into training camp before declaring defeat? Last year, this team beat Cincy at home when it meant something and should have easily beat New England and Miami. That was without Spikes. I am not claiming that this team is a playoff team, but how can you give up already?????? Be VERY GLAD that we still have the Buffalo Bills, that is a long shot to begin with. Stop with the Ralph Depends jokes, alzhiemers references and other predictable old guy jokes. They are predictable and stupid. I am not asking you to put on rose-colored glasses, just asking you to recognize what a ridiculous long-shot it is for Buffalo, New York to have a franchsie in the most successful sport there is and appreciate what happened more than three days ago when we didnt sign the pro-bowler player du jour.

Thank you Lori, you are one of my favorite posters. I take that as a high compliment.

Think about it clones, Jim Rome on the satellite. I mean just think about it. It would be like, I don't know, some kind of astronaut thing. Rome would speak and it would bounce off a satelite and come back to earth. I mean freaking earth. That would be hysterical. Rome would talk, it would bounce off some freaking satelite and the clones would hear it on earth. That is just freaking hysterical. I would be like, did you hear Rome today and the answer would be yes, I heard him bounce off a freaking satelite. That is truly classic. Rome's vibes in outer space. A freaking satellite, that is truly classic.

It is not even close... OJ was one of the best there ever was... he is the football Roy Hobbs. Every time he touched the ball, you were waiting for the explosion. I have only seen one other player that had that same ability and that was Barry Sanders. Any play could be a 60 yard run. You just never knew. Jim Brown was the only other running back that I saw that compared (never saw Gale Sayers enough to rate), but Brown woud consistently turn a 3 yard gain into an 8 yard gain with a twist and a shoulder into the tackler. He was not that guy that suddenly made the move, was free and exploded into the defensive backfield. OJ combined world class speed, pure shifty moves and strength to break a tackle. Been no one like him that combined those attributes. Let the slasher jokes begin.

Why do I think most people complaining about the calls had a few dollars riding on the Seahawks and were watching with their wallets instead of their brains? There were some close and tough calls but I had no rooting interest and thought that Ben Rothlssbrggrrrht clearly went over the line with part of the ball and yet some would claim that it was an obvious bad call. Sorry, did not see it. The Jackson "touchdown" was offensive pass interference. I will agree that the call does not get made consistently ( see Michael Irvin) but by the book it is pass interference. Bad interpretation, maybe. Bad call, not by the book. The idea that the NFL would jeopardize their billion dollar business and reputation to favor Pittsburgh over Seattle is ludicrous. At least, the Patrick Ewing to the Knicks theory makes business sense. Get over it... you made a bad bet and lost... the football Gods did not shine on you, but to blame a conspiracy reeks of sour grapes and paranoia.