BuffaloWings

Remember how Buddy kept saying that Lynch is a member of the Bills and he wasn't seeking a trade? This is a game and he's playing it. If he was starting to lead people to believe that he'd take a CB with the #3 pick, then it could encourage other teams to trade up for that pick. If I was Buddy, I wouldn't tip my hand either way...just say that there are a number of areas where they need to improve and leave it at that.

That's it? Seriously? Sounds like Rex & Co. are trying to stir something out of nothing. No, Manning, Brees, or Roethlisberger wouldn't usually do that, but this is nothing compared to what the Jets open their traps about. Much ado about nothing. Preferably Baltimore. I'm tired of the Steelers, too.

It may be the 4th round pick, but it's the 6th player chosen. The previous 5 all address major needs, so I'm ok with a QB for that pick. I'd prefer Devlin, though I don't know enough about Kaepernick. I wonder if Astro is running this draft from a Bills perspective and forgetting other teams' needs.

Touche. Considering he tweeted, that makes even less sense. Had he been asked by a reporter about the Bills' playoff chances next year, that's one thing. But proactively saying something to "the world" via Twitter is a bit too much. I'll stand corrected - shutting is mouth (or disabling his keyboard) is the better approach.

I agree that a pro athlete shouldn't need smack talk from their opponent to motivate them, but I think it does add a little more motivation. Brady is probably as ready as he can be for this game. But when an idiot like Cromartie says stuff like that in public, that has to motivate Brady to give him a little more pummeling than he normally would have. If there's anything I like about the Pats, it's that they don't open their mouth. They literally do their talking and cheating on the field.

Not to nitpick, but LeBeau didn't work in Buffalo under Jauron. Wasn't he the DC/asst. HC for Mularkey?

It's along the lines of a guarantee, which is where a lot of people have the problem. Since guarantees are a dime a dozen these days, nobody pays attention to them anymore...unless they come from a player in a big market. E$PN would be all over it, if that was the case. I like your point that I'd rather hear this than "Don't bother, we're not making the playoffs". Had Spiller said that, he'd be run out of town faster than McGahee. He really can't win here, can he?

I guess this means that Fairley will be a bust. Bowers! Dareus! Quinn!

Wasn't it pork-faced satan? His defenses in Dallas were a huge part of the reason they went to those Superbowls. I don't know if he has a working relationship with Gailey, but I'd most certainly be ok with him as a DC. Wannstedt is an average HC, but a good DC.

No doubt, but it's apples & oranges. Newton is the mobile/athletic style of QB where Rodgers is a true pro-style pocket passer. Green Bay's game plan doesn't include many QB draws, roll-outs with an option to run, nor does Rodgers take off and run when his 1st or 2nd option isn't available. I would be on the bandwagon of letting a QB sit for a year or two (I don't care if he's getting $50 million per year) and then letting him go at it. I just don't know if Newton would be willing to do that. Not to mention, if we think Ralph meddles now, imagine if he was paying that much money for his first round pick to sit on the bench. There would be too much pressure from Ralph and the fans to play Newton, regardless of whether or not the coaching staff is willing to play him.

Don't want him. I don't buy one bit that he had no clue what his father was doing, so I have a lot of character questions about him. He has raw talent and skills and reminds me of a more mobile/athletic Ben Roethlisberger, but because his style of play hasn't done well in the NFL, I wouldn't take a chance on him. He may turn out to be the next Michael Vick and I could be wrong, but I still wouldn't use a top 5 pick on him...nor would I trade back into round 1 for him. Not worth it, IMO.

I'm sure they're way ahead of you.

This is why I preferred Fred Jackson over Marshawn Lynch. Hit the hole and run through it - plain and simple. Lynch would (and still does) try to juke and make everyone miss. It looks good sometimes (looked good on Saturday), but every time you try and deke someone, that gives time for the other 10 defenders to catch up to you. Personally, I think Spiller was overwhelmed a bit by the pro game. He was probably realizing quickly that the NFL linebackers are a lot faster than the ones he saw in the ACC and couldn't figure out how to adjust. He needs more time (more than we'd expect out of a first-round pick), but hopefully has started to adjust. I also hope this will pay off next year.

Stupid. Plain and simple. I heard somewhere that of the 19 games to go into OT this season, only 2 of which ended on the first possession. Plus, I think that has only happened twice in the past 10 years in playoff OT games. They don't need to change anything, yet they're trying to re-invent the wheel. If they must change the OT rule, then just make it a full quarter. If tied after that, then go sudden death. It's not complicated.

Not sure where you got that record, but I counted the Colts' record as 2-3 in the wildcard games during Manning's era. They have disappointed a few times in the divisional round at home (3 losses that I can think of), however. In fact, if you swapped the words 'Jets' and 'Colts' in the above paragraph (especially since the game is in Indy), I'd tend to believe you more. The Colts have risen a few times when they saw adversity. Not that the Jets didn't - they won a few games in the last minute or OT - but I don't think the Jets are as good as Rex Ryan says they are.

Anne Hathaway. :wub: I've been trying to post more often just to look at my avatar. I came pretty close to picking the Pack. I actually did so in another pool, which tells you I really can't make up my mind on this one. I think this should be a hell of a game and I'd much rather see this as a divisional or NFC champ game (you get what you get, I suppose). Your reasons are legit and I would have picked GB, but I've been burned a few times in the past when I pick a game where a team's injuries & losing streak lead me to pick their opponent.

Ravens defense is too good. KC runs the ball well, but they're going to have to rely on Cassel to throw the ball. With Derrick Bowe having some illness, I don't know if he'll be 100% enough to help...Ravens 24, Chiefs 17 I really like the Pack-Eagles matchup (smart move putting that as the late Sunday game). Now that Aaron Rodgers is back, the Packers are rolling and could make a run, if their defense holds up their end of the bargain. The Eagles are limping and Michael Vick isn't 100%, but something tells me that's the perfect reason to pick the Eagles...Eagles 23, Packers 20

I don't see any reason why the Saints won't win this, even though they put Thomas & Ivory on IR. Seattle just isn't good enough, no matter where they play this game. Unless the weather turns iffy, the Saints should roll...Saints 31, Seahawks 14 As for the other game, the Jets scare me a bit in this one. The Colts have been playing pretty well lately, but I have a sneaky feeling the Jets could pull off the upset - provided Mark Sanchez doesn't poop his pants and turn the ball over 3-4 times. The Jets defense hasn't been stellar this year like everyone thought and I think Peyton Manning still has Rex Ryan's number...Colts 24, Jets 16

I like that more than WVU and Stl Bills do combined! I'd still like to see Fairley, but I'm most certainly ok with this. I liked the type of TE that Kendricks is and think he could really be a receiving weapon. I also heard somewhere that Pat Devlin could be a steal. Oh yes, I like this.

It doesn't matter, anyway. Since Luck will not be available, the debate then centers around whether or not to draft Newton or wait for the best available "pocket passer". We might as well start planning for that. If by some miracle Luck falls to #3, then we'll know someone up high is looking down on the Bills (for once).

I can live with this - I'm on board with Fairley, but it MUST be defense. I don't know if I'd go with Locker that early, but it's possible they may have to. There seem to be enough QBs out there that the Bills may feel the need to get one while they can. That said, I'd rather live with Fitz for another year and go heavy on defense.

I think the guys who were considered scramblers or athletic eventually became better pocket passers. John Elway was considered that early in his career, but eventually relied less on his legs and more on his intelligence to win games (getting a running game helped, too). Randall Cunningham was a scrambler, but later didn't always take off from the pocket when things got hairy. Michael Vick is doing the same thing - at the first sign of trouble, he used to take off. He still does that a little bit, but you can see him being more patient and relying on his OL to protect and his receivers to get open. Vince Young had a good run in 2006-07, but hasn't been able to prove he's mature enough to handle adversity. If another team gives him a chance, I'd be very interested in seeing how he does. I've always wondered why the "athletic" QBs never had great success in the NFL and why the Superbowl-winning QBs are usually the "pocket passer" types. Perhaps it's because the pocket-passers need to understand how to read defenses more and call/adjust plays based on that knowledge (Manning, Brady, Brees, Ryan) and are thus more successful than the guys whose 3rd option is to run? Somehow, I'd think it has something to do with defenses planning for the QB to run (maybe dedicating a LB to shadow him) and taking away that 3rd option.

You're not on crazy pills. People want a QB because it's the most visible part of the team. I agree that if you don't have a good QB, you won't go anywhere. However, I'll maintain that if you have a decent-to-solid QB with a good offensive line, you can still win. Maybe not be an elite team or maybe not win a Superbowl (Trent Dilfer won one, remember), but be relevant and be contenders every year. The QB play hasn't been stellar - Fitz was a breath of fresh air compared to Trent Edwards and Brian Brohm didn't really give anyone a sense of promise. I guess people figure that a first round pick spent on a hot-shot QB is worth it. People want to get rid of Poz & Whitner because they "haven't lived up to their expectations". Whitner was a first round draft pick and hasn't exactly played like that, while he keeps whining & tweeting about everything. Everyone liked Posluszny as soon as he was drafted, but they want him gone because he hasn't risen to Mike Singletary or even Brian Urlacher status yet. The team could use a better QB, but there are enough holes elsewhere that need filling first. Fitz can hold down the fort for now.

At least the ' I love Andy ' threads are distributed among several different posters.