Tipster19

As in I as well. I thought that picking up someone like Schwartz in free agency and addressing a need would allow us to draft one of the 3 OTs (Robinson, Matthews and Lewan). If the Bills do acquire Schwartz or a LG then I expect us to draft Lewan. Adding more talent later in the draft might still be a good idea and possibility but just getting those 2 players alone would really solidify our OL IMO. Go Bills!

Oh this just keeps on getting better! Maybe one of the greatest aspects of extending Aaron Williams is how much chemistry and friendship he has with Jairus Byrd! I think that things like their relationship, amongst others on the team, will most definitely help influence Byrd's decision in a positive way! Check it out! http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/07/aaron-williams-says-jairus-byrd-wants-to-remain-in-buffalo/

Thank you! Finally someone gets it!

Well, it appears that if all things are equal Byrd stays with us. Now, if another offer comes in a little bit more from another team does he sign just for the money or does he still stays with us due to being content? I guess that would be the question in my mind at this time but only Byrd can answer that. As far as FJax goes I I only did that to try and fit it all into the title, no disrespect meant. Go Bills!

I can understand this angle but I truly believe that Byrd would not deliberately mislead his teammate, especially someone like Fred. I also believe that Byrd does love his teammates and he's not that type of person. I know that sounds corny but Jairus is a good man, he always speaks of God and blessings. I would be shocked if he was anything other than honest and above board.

I guess that there really is hope after all! https://twitter.com/johnmurphyshow/status/44138184301569638 Go Bills! Ok, I apologize, technology has left me behind. I thought that I could just copy the link to the tweet but I guess I can't. Anyways this is what John Murphy tweeted about 9:00 tonight. "@JohnMurphyShow: Jackson says he has been in touch with Jairus Byrd and Byrd tells him that he is open to returning to the team."

I might be mistaken about this but Thad Lewis might still be eligible to go back on the practice squad. If that were the case then drafting someone like Aaron Murray or Zach Mettenberger in the 3rd rd could be feasible. Both would not be ready to play but once again I think that they could go on the PUP list until the 7th week of the season then a decision would have to be made. If that were the case then the drafted QB would be PUPPED and then activated when he is eligible to come off and then Lewis would be sent to the practice squad at that time. If I'm wrong on any of these accounts then this whole theory would be thrown out the window. It's the off season and I'm just trying to be creative.

Me personally I was thinking along the lines of a Shaun Hill. The price would be reasonable, he's a veteran who has come in on a few games and has done well and would be a good, solid insurance in case EJ gets hurt or doesn't pan out as well as we all hope he does.

Oops, you're absolutely correct sir, I meant Glenn, an oversight on my part.

Ha! I was actually going to start a thread today on Kansas City's OL Geoff Schwartz! I think that his versatility is an added bonus but more so if we draft OT Taylor Lewan at #9 and sign Schwartz to be our LG our OL would be all set imo. Grabbing our future #1 WR in the 2nd rd would take care of most of our offensive concerns. I guess that I don't have an answer at this time for our TE position but I really liked that we picked up Moeaki at the end of last year. Re-signing Chandler and then adding another TE in the mid rds might just do the trick.

Bingo! One of the things that Byrd mentioned that was important to him was his legacy. There is no doubt in my mind that Byrd loves his teammates, Williams in particular. If the Bills, at this point, have any shot of signing Byrd then I believe that offering continuity with players that he's familiar with is about as good as any as an enticement at this time. I don't believe that some other team is going to pay him significantly more than what has been projected as our offer to him. If he signs for the same or even less than it doesn't matter what we offered him, it would be apparent that he just doesn't want to be here and no matter what the money would be it wouldn't be enough. With that being said and now that a couple of days have past and my emotions have settled down I would like to weigh in on this whole scenario if I may. First off Byrd is not a punk or a bad person/player just because of what's happening. The guy is a great Safety and even a better person off of the field and I am proud and grateful that he is/was a Buffalo Bill. Matter of fact I wish that we had a whole roster full of a guy/player like him. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes and I'm quite sure that there's more to all of this that we don't know verse what we do know. Either way no matter where Jairus plays next year I wish him the best of fortune and that he fulfills all of his aspirations. Secondly, although I have been tortured, like may of you, and have stressed more than I probably needed to over this whole situation I honestly can't fault Parker for doing what he has done. The guy is an excellent agent and did what he was hired to do. Keep in mind that his obligation first and foremost is to his client, not to the Bills', their fans or anyone else. Simply the guy did what he was suppose to do, as unpopular as it is to most of us on this message board. When some have pointed out that the Bills will not commit this much money to our Safety positions this year I don't think that this is necessarily accurate. This would be the year for us to spend this kind of money, with our cap situation being so far under. As someone has already pointed out that Dareus can't be re-signed this year because of the CBA rules, and if this accurate then very astute to you sir, then Byrd could be loaded up this year with a nice big signing bonus. Whaley and Byrd BOTH seemed very amicable to keeping this offer opened, I believe in both of their sincerity. I can't fault Byrd for being anxious to see what lays ahead of him, he has worked his whole life to get to this position and he has earned the right to see what can happen for him, especially after last off season frustrations and a whole season of waiting and wondering. Hopefully he does come back and sign with us, imagine what our secondary would be like! Imo it would be one of the best in the whole league. One last thing I would like to point out. All these years, a couple of decades now, which includes even the non-play-off years, we have had more than our share of GREAT secondary players. Even though most have them ended up leaving at one point or another during their careers we have had them, I don't know if this actually means anything but anytime that I can find something positive about this organization than I'm gonna grab it because Lord knows we sure do take more than our fair of bashing around here! LOL! Go Bills and congratulations to Aaron, we love having ya!

I would like to see us take a QB in the 3rd rd. IMO someone like Georgia's QB Aaron Murray or LSU's QB Zach Mettenberger would be an excellent choice and a very wise decision.

I would have to say that this is a very fair assessment of EJ and our QB situation. Who, or should I say, what has Manuel done or shown where he shouldn't have to have fair competition to be the starter?? I think, like others have stated, including Graham, that if we just rely on EJ and name him the clear cut starter without him actually earning it then this will be a huge error on our part and could destroy any chance of ever moving forward or getting to the next level.

I'm just speculating here but I think that the real problem was last year when we didn't come to terms and paid him. I think that last year the Old Timers controlled and handled the contracts, like they still do, and being unsettled with the newly acquired New Breed and it was mishandled. The Byrd camp felt slighted and got pissed off, the Old Timers stuck to their outdated guns and the New Breed were unsettled and powerless to have any significant influence or sayso. It's seems apparent to me that not only letting the Old Timers handle and botch this whole Byrd fiasco but more importantly they are the ones who are the most accountable for keeping this franchise in the doldrums for the last 14+ years. I hate to say or admit it but we really are a laughingstock in the NFL and sadly rightfully so. We're not victims of our reputation, we "earned" it. Ps-While Belichick truly is an excellent coach and football guy but it didn't hurt that we most definitely added to his lore.

Whoa boys, I didn't say that we're not taking care of our players, Graham did. In all fairness to Graham he didn't state it as his opinion, he just insinuated that that's the lockerroom perception. Ok, now commence tearing each other apart.

I caught it a few minutes in as he was finishing up about Byrd. After that here was some of the "highlights". He had no problem airing the dirty laundry of our division in the front office between the Old Timers and the New Breed. He is a big advocate of Marrone and he is NOT a player for EJ at all! Matter of fact he actually kind of gave a little snicker when he brought up Manuel. Made it a point to mention our lack of play-offs, which is fair but when he finished Zig Fracassi and Amanti Toomer had a pretty good har har as they were appalled from the realization of our play-off absence. He also talked about sending the wrong message to the rest of lockerroom. Not only are the Bills not taking care of our own home grown players but they are also allowing one of our playmakers to just leave which in turn makes it harder to be a winning team. Graham wasn't wrong in what he was saying but I can't say that I enjoyed hearing what I heard. I guess sometimes the truth really does hurt.

Bottom line is that this whole Byrd debactical is just very frustrating. How we draft a guy and then just watch him walk. I don't know who's fault it it, I just know that I don't like it. If Byrd lands up in Cleveland I think that I could start really hating that team.

I have been pouring over the first 9 picks of the draft for the last several days. I have finally came to an amended conclusion that I think is very realistic barring any trades. Here's how I see the following. 1. Houston-Clowney. The guy is a freak and pairing him with JJ Watt is downright scary. 2. St. Louis. Here one of the OTs (Robinson or Matthews) are taken to keep Bradford upright. 3. Jacksonville- it's no great secret, they need a QB and take 1 of the following 3 (Manziel, Bortles or Bridgewater). 4. Cleveland- Khalil Mack. I'm not changing my mind here. Mack is perfect for Pettine's defense and coupling that with them thinking highly of Hoyer makes this the pick. That's not to say that they won't get another QB later in the draft and/or in free agency. 5. Oakland- On eagain here is another team that desperately needs a QB. The Raiders selects 1 of the 2 top QBs that are still left on the board. 6. Atlanta- Mirroring the same line of thinking as St. Louis protecting QB Matt Ryan is the Falcons' top priority. 7. Tampa- Unfortunately this is where WR Sammy Watkins goes. Not only does WR Mike Williams raises the Buccaneer's eye brows with some of his antics and his attitude but more importantly Watkins is a Florida boy, he's hails from right down the road, a Fort Myers native. There is still a top QB on the board and although I believe that Lovie will get some competition for Glennon it will be coming in the form of a FA veteran, possibly a later draft prospect as well. 8. Minnesota- The Vikings scoop up the last remaining top QB so they can try and get this monster Patterson the ball so they can utilize his off the chain talents and also loosen up the box so AP can over some people. The Vikings will be offensive minded and a little less defensive. 9. Buffalo- I firmly believe that if the draft were to unfold as I'm predicting than OT Taylor Lewan will be our pick. It's tempting to consider WR Mike Evans but due to this being the deepest position of the draft the Bills will make this position their priority in the 2nd rd (WR Allen Robinson or Kelvin Benjamin?).

I'm sure he meant Clowney and I appreciate the time and effort that was put into this post. Thanks Bills' fan but although I love this time of the year, all the predraft speculation and such, I sure hope that we don't trade down. I think and want the best OT available. We don't even have adequate starters let alone back-ups for rotation and injury purposes. We have a decent foundation but we're still far from being a good team. I realize that it's been stated that we're not going to be big players in free agency but I do feel that we need to add a good player or two from it. If you look at the average age of our roster you'll notice that we're an awfully young team, we could stand some veteran leadership.

I think that you're spot on except for the Watkins pick. WR is probably the deepest position in this draft and the Browns have a plethora of premium picks that can be used for a #2 WR, which is what they need. I also agree with the other posters who suggested that they take LB Khalil Mack. If they don't get Clowney then I believe that they will definitely take Mack. Taking 1 of those 2 defensive players with their first pick, regardless if it's the #1 pick overall or at the #4 spot, will make their whole draft work.

I'm just thinking that somehow, some way the Browns are going to draft Clowney. If so I find that very interesting and he would be the best pick for them verse any other player that they could get. With their current defense, which is already good, Pettine's newly implemented scheme and adding a premier player on defense like Clowney, who after being critized for not putting forth his best effort all the time, I think that this coach, this team and this player are going to be really galvanized and will be out to prove something this year.

I'm curious what the Browns will do in the draft for several reasons. First and foremost they hold two 1st rd picks and have a major impact on this year's draft. especially having such a high pick with their first selection. Secondly because of their pick at the #4 spot it will have a really big impact on who will be available for the Bills at the #9 slot. I didn't and still don't think that they will be all jacked up in taking a QB with their first pick, even if they do happen to move up in the draft. It appears that they are more than willing to go will Hoyer but that's not to say that they won't look to reinforce this position with either a draft selection (with their #26th pick?) and/or in free agency. Derek Carr's name has been mentioned recently as a QB prospect that the Browns have been impressed with and he should be available for them with their second 1st rd pick at #26. They also have a lot of extra premium picks early in this draft by having one 2nd rder, two 3rd rders and two 4th rders. My point is that they have plenty of ammunition to move up if they choose to do so. With Pettine being a defensive minded coach and in light of the Seahawks' impressive Super Bowl victory, it's now more acceptable for teams/franchises to be more than willing to construct a team that allows the defense to win games for them. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Browns were to trade up in the draft with Houston. Even if they don't I'm starting to think that Clowney might be the player that they are wanting and he could still be available for them at the #4 spot. Here's my reasoning for thinking that. At the #1 slot, regardless if it's Houston or even if they trade out of it, I'm expecting that selection to be used on a QB (Manziel?). Now with the Rams selecting second I fully expect them to take an OT. They made their commitment to Bradford and their OL is very unsettled to say the least. Jacksonville is picking third and they desperately need a QB. I guess that the only way that Clowney won't be available for them is if the Texans keep their pick and select him themselves. If that were the case then this is where I would think that Cleveland would try and trade up with them. Sliding down to #4 and picking up some premium pick(s) wouldn't be a bad alternative for the Texans. If the Texans are willing to trade out and not take a QB then that should leave 1 of the 3 top QB prospects to be available for when the Raiders select at the #5 slot. The reason why I bring this up and it is of interest to me is the Raiders are the team who is most likely to draft Sammy Watkins. If Oakland were to draft a QB at this spot and pass on Watkins then here's where Buffalo could have a real good shot of having him being available for when they pick. Tampa at #7 would be the only other team that I would be sweating over, they could realistically be interested in Watkins. I haven't mentioned Atlanta at #6 but once again I expect them to take the other OT (Robinson or Matthews) that should be available when they are on the clock. As far as the Vikings go, I think regardless of who they take, that it will affect us too much. Bottom line when Buffalo's turn comes up at #9 the prospects that should be available will be OT Taylor Lewan, LB C.J. Mosley, WR Mike Evans and TE Eric Ebron with an outside shot of LB Khalil Mack and WR Sammy Watkins being available. Me personally I think that it comes down to either OT Taylor Lewan or LB C.J. Mosley but I would love to see us get WR Sammy Watkins. If it comes down to either Lewan or Mosley I'd rather see us get Lewan.

I liked the idea of the past and the present. My player from the past was WR Jordy Nelson. Man I wanted the Bills to take this guy! I plastered the message board with every highlight video that I could find. So who did the Bills take take that year??! Of course that colossal bust WR James Hardy! I'd love to see a "Where Are They Now?" Story on that guy! Lol! My player of the present is going to be West Virginia's RB Charles Sims. There you have it, I sure do hope that the Bills take him in the 3rd rd, no later than the 4th.

I don't, I already did and we don't see eye to eye. No big deal, just trying to maximize this whole Byrd thing. Like what the OP stated earlier, this whole thing really is becoming one big distraction. Whatever they figure or work out I hope that they do it in the very near future because this whole thing is really starting to be a big pain in the @$$.

I suggested a 4th OR a 5th rd pick. As far as swapping the 1st rd picks, well that could be debated but it does fall into the category of in the eye of the beholder. If Pettine, or whoever for that matter, really wants or needs Byrd then who's to say what someone would pay?