Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

Does anyone know any details on the draft coverage? I see ABC is broadcasting the draft along with ESPN. Will ABC be using the ESPN broadcast crew or having their own. Watching some of the NBA playoffs today, seen ads for the ABC coverage, and hearing them touting how Bobby Bones will be present among other non football folks. Nothing says NFL football like Bobby Bones!! For me it's much easier for me to watch ABC rather than ESPN as don't have cable /Dish. Have a TIVO hooked up to antenna for watching networks, plus Sling TV So easier for me to record via TIVO if it's going to be identical broadcast, but would prefer having actual football coverage as opposed to the latest updates on the county music scene in Nashville. Was also thinking a little about how the draft process works. Each team has their draft room back at the team headquarters, they have a phone connection to a table at the draft site with a couple of Bills staff members there, sometimes the trainer. He then fields the calls from headquarters, writes the name on a card and turns it into some runner who brings the card up to Roger to announce the selection. If there's a trade, the cards a different color. In today's electronic, wi-fi, data age, they're basically using the same process as was used the first time the draft was televised. Kind of wondering is this really the process or is there something going on behind the curtain that actually runs the draft and what I described above is just for show on TV. And will they actually paint a room green for the top picks to wait in??

Could have started a new thread on this, but decided to instead post here for lack of a better thread. Does anyone know any details on the draft coverage? I see ABC is broadcasting the draft along with ESPN. Will ABC be using the ESPN broadcast crew or having their own. Watching some of the NBA playoffs today, seen ads for the ABC coverage, and hearing them touting how Bobby Bones will be present among other non football folks. Nothing says NFL football like Bobby Bones!! For me it's much easier for me to watch ABC rather than ESPN as don't have cable /Dish. Have a TIVO hooked up to antenna for watching networks, plus Sling TV So easier for me to record via TIVO if it's going to be identical broadcast, but would prefer having actual football coverage as opposed to the latest updates on the county music scene in Nashville. Was also thinking a little about how the draft process works. Each team has their draft room back at the team headquarters, they have a phone connection to a table at the draft site with a couple of Bills staff members there, sometimes the trainer. He then fields the calls from headquarters, writes the name on a card and turns it into some runner who brings the card up to Roger to announce the selection. If there's a trade, the cards a different color. In today's electronic, wi-fi, data age, they're basically using the same process as was used the first time the draft was televised. Kind of wondering is this really the process or is there something going on behind the curtain that actually runs the draft and what I described above is just for TV. And will they actually paint a room green for the top picks to wait in??

Have you ever heard a GM come out and state: "He wasn't the BPA, but he filled a need" I wouldn't be surprised to learn that most teams have players grouped, any of these 5 will fill title of BPA as their grades are so close anyway, it does become somewhat subjective. So they pick the one they want and tell everyone he was the BPA on their board and no one will ever be the wiser either way.

What would be cool was for the Bills to trade up to #7 and draft Josh Allan so two years in a row the Bills drafted Josh Allen at #7!

Worked well for me, I thought the video quality was very good most of the time, once in awhile was weak.

Agree, use to be easier to deal with them and get discounts before ATT bought them out. Probably ATT told them you can't keep giving these discounts and be profitable. This could be the end coming that the NFL sees the writing on the wall and is planning to go the way of the other sports and make their package available stand alone via streaming. So things are rocky between them. I have a TIVO for a DVR and record off the networks, watch all the Bills games on line via Reddit.

You wonder too when a player comes in this late, and then doesn't sign as a result of the visit, is it that they had already visited a couple teams maybe a month ago where there seemed to be mutual interest, so figures go visit another team now to generate fake interest to get the original team(s) to make an offer. Will be surprised if not signed by someone before the draft, either here in Buffalo or team he visited awhile back.

LOL Lets put it this way I just added up the value of every pick they have. If they traded every pick they have the value chart shows they could get to #3, keep just their 2nd rounder, 5th is about the best they can get to. So unless you feel it would be a good idea to have just the 5th overall and they keep their 2nd, you're not going anywhere close moving up. Trade their 1st and 3rd may get them to 7th. and thats only if a team above them really wants to trade down, likely other teams could give them a better offer. People keep talking about their 10 picks, while I agree they likely don't need to have ten picks, if you take the 7 picks they have from the 4th round down they are worth a little less than 200 points combined!

Agree, these late round picks get you little of anything, Would the Bills like to go from 10 picks to 6 or 7 good picks sure, but hard to do with the picks they have now.They could trade their 2nd 3rd to get to the bottom of the 1st, but overall I wouldn't be all that happy with that move as the team needs more than two high quality players. Trading down could give you an extra 2nd and maybe even another 4th. Then could trade all your 4ths to get back into the bottom half of the 3rd. That wouldn't be too bad then with two firsts and two thirds. Maybe two fifths and the sixth could even get you a bottom 4th back too. Maybe could even get a 4th rounder for Zay Jones??

How do you figure that will happen? Do the math! I keep hearing how they'll trade some of their picks to move up but for the most part their picks have little value. If they initially trade down to around 15, likely could pick up a 2nd, but then would need to use both two's to get back into the bottom of the 1st. The only way I can see them getting extra high quality picks is to trade a couple of their more value players, maybe to get another 3rd or 4th. But likely the best you'll end up with is a 1st and two second rounders, or 2 firsts and no 2nd. But the problem their is they don't have many players they can trade and get much of anything in return. The only ones I can see them getting anything better than a 6th rounder for and not leaving a huge void would be Shady, Hughes, Lawson, and Zay Jones.

Agree most are contracts they can easily walk away from, but then could be shaky fro ma talent standpoint. also agree with you on I'd rather trade down to between 12 and 16, get an extra 2nd rounder at a minimum, likely something more, then use the extra picks to trade back up into bottom of 1st.

The only worry I have about going this route which I do believe is going to happen to some extent is you don't develop enough time with the starters all working together. Think that was part of the issue last year with both the line and QB, all the constant changing, not one getting enough time with the starting group. It may mean the first month of the season until they have time to work the bugs out, people will be ripping Beane and the team for the poor play of the line. I do feel three spots are set, Morse, Spain, and Dawkins, so only have churn at two positions.

The problem with 4 and 5 are while I agree can't see even close to ten rookies making the the team, plus throw in the one or two surprise undrafted rookies, we don't have much of value to bundle. I'd be very happy if we could bundle our two 4th, 6th, and 7th rounders to move up to a 3rd rounder, but don't see that happening. Maybe could trade the 6th and 7th rounders to move up to the 5th? The only way I can see bundling working decent is if prior to the draft we trade a couple players to pick up maybe a 2nd and 3rd. That gives you picks to use to move up and also frees up a couple more roster slots for all these new names. I also will predict at least one if not two of these FA just signed will end up getting cut at the end of camp.

So you're saying he wasn't THAT Quick!

While I agree we don't need to draft and add ten new players, we have more than needs at only two positions, so don't like giving up all those picks either and have nothing left at the top of the draft. Personally I'd rather see them trade down at 9 a few spots maybe to around 13, pick up a n extra pick or two, at a minimum another teams 2nd, then do the trade up as still have at least another 2nd or 3rd left over. That is something that worries me, the long term plan is to build thru the draft which I think is the right way and do believe that is the plan. With all the players they just signed, it doesn't leave much room to draft guys and still keep all the players they just signed at certain positions, particularly thru at O-line, just not enough roster spots. Wouldn't surprise me to see a couple of the guys they just signed end up getting cut.

If that's moderate, then all my life I must not have had any idea what hot looks like! That's what happens when you get old!

Every year rookie RB's come in including 3rd rounders and run for 1000 yards. Shady may be the best we have, but based on last year wasn't very good to begin with. Maybe with improved line he'll do better, but likely this is his last year with the Bills anyway, so I'd be fine with moving on now and get something in return. While I think the Bills are a better team now than a year ago, don't think they are winning the SB either so taking a slight step back this season at RB to be better off in 2020, I'd be fine with that. Can they trade him who knows, was thinking in the context of a package deal Shady, maybe one of the other names I mentioned and a pick to move up or get more picks. Does he have trade value, don't know and didn't state we were getting a 3rd for him either. All I said was we can replace him with a 3rd round RB.

Three guys with some trade value that wouldn't be terribly missed are Zay Jones, Lawson, and Shady. Lawson is based on us either signing Ziggy or drafting in the 1st for his replacement, and replace Shady with a 3rd round RB

So true in theory could happen based on BPA. When was the last time any team has ever come out after the draft and stated, he wasn't the best player available, but we took him anyway. Every player drafted by every team in every round is always somehow miraculously the BPA. And how would anyone ever know as even those doing mock drafts in the media hardly agree from one to the next. Recall Josh Allen was ranked from #1 overall to a 4th rounder by someone else. If you looked at a teams draft board and ranking or even the Mel Kipers of the worlds board, how much difference is there really between the guy they have ranked 14th and 15th, maybe he bench pressed 10 more reps or 2 points higher on the Wonderlic. IMO teams may have their board all set up but if there's a player very closely ranked to the BPA that's remaining, and the one slightly lower better fits a need, they take the need guy and announce at his introductory press conference how they had him ranked high and were so lucky he fell to them and no one will ever know the difference.

I do agree with you, felt that was a problem last year all the switching in camp and per-season on the line and also at QB hurt. I don't think it's as bad this year though as do feel Morse, Dawkins and Spain will start, so at most that leaves only two slots up for changes. But the sooner they can nail those two spots down the better in the long run. I think this also is the plan, however that likely means some of these guys they just signed will be cut. Right now there are 13 offensive line players on the roster 4 players who I believe still have some practice squad eligibility left, three returning players, two of which likely will be cut Bodine and Vlad, and six new players. If you draft one or two (which I'm not disagreeing with) where is a spot for him? Anything below a 5th rounder, you'd be taking a big chance exposing him to waivers to move to practice squad without someone else signing him. Teams usually carry 9 lineman so unless you put all four on the practice squad, at least one one of the new signees likely will also get cut. And likely trying to move Teller to PS will result in another team signing him. If the Bills do draft two lineman with anything below a 5th, that likely does mean some of the new signees will be gone. So do think it may be tricky as to how the team can sign long term replacements, and also field a strong line this year with the players they signed.

I don't think people are under valuing the RB position. I think people particularly in NFL front offices are recognizing that you can easily find great RB's in the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th round. To me RB is a throw away position. Of all the positions on a football field (excluding the punter and kicker) it appears to be easiest for a RB to come in as a rookie and excel on the field. On the other hand they seem to have a shorter shelf life and you may be best once their first or at most second contract is done, letting them go and go get another rookie to take his place. Could be a very interesting year for L Bell to watch how he does!

I don't often agree with BadoBilz, but I do on this one and if I were you I'd stop arguing with him regarding point #2 as I view that as a big benefit to Beane. I agree about Butler too, great scout, loved every player he found and signed them to crazy contracts. Beane is more of an administrative guy. Yes he does go out scouting but doesn't have the lifetime blood in his veins of scouting like some of these others do like a Whaley. Whaley is about 5 years older worked for ten years in Pitt in the area of scouting. From what I recall of the stories written about him when he was first hired, Beane started out getting coffee and picking up dry cleaning. He's trying to catch up on the scouting part and is doing a good job there, but am very happy that the area of scouting isn't his strong part.

I think you could get away with trading down a few slots and still get him around say 13 and pick up an extra pick in the process. I'd be fine with them picking him going this route. And if someone else then picks him before us, there's still many good plays left at 13 and still have the extra pick, so would prefer rolling the dice i n this direction.

Maybe the source is Doug Whaley or Russ B!! I'd say arguably one of the two best! But still not a bad signing by any means

My only fear is they spend too much time during camp "tinkering" and doesn't give the eventual starting five time to develop teamwork. I'd go with Morse, Spain and Dawkins at three slots and unless someone comes out of the blue to beat them out, you're set there. That leaves two slots with 2 to 3 guys battling it out for each. And again would try and settle quickly on the winner at both. I will predict one of the signings will get cut as not sure you'll want to have that much money for the backups at the expense of cutting all the young cheap guys. They seem to like Sirles and not sure they are ready to give up on Ike or McDermott yet. Think if it's close between one of these three and the FA signings, one of the FA signings may be the one to be cut.