FightClub

Thank you

Have you ever tried to write an algorithm that recognizes natural language, including speech idioms, catch phrases and the like?

Maybe so, but I wasn't overly impressed about a week before the combine. Then, during combine week, I somehow let the 1,000 Cam Newton posts get me temporarily excited. All the combine did was level set my opinion to what it was at its original state. No QB before round 4, if at all, in my book.

You get the prize for being first in denial. I am not saying I want it to happen, just chuckling at all the folks who think Gailey and Nix will spend a high pick on a college QB rather than signing a guy like Jackson.

This board had me on the "draft a QB" bandwagon for about a week, right before the combine, right up until I saw those guys throw and came to my senses. I can't wait until this board explodes when not only does no QB get drafted but afterward they sign a mobile veteran like Tavaris Jackson to be the backup (hey, don't be so shocked - Gailey had a front row seat for the reaming that kid gave us in early Dec - with Favre we would have won that game and then the backup comes in and we lose 38 - 14. I would not at all be surprised if Gailey saw someone "free" - we always talk about signing someone on the cheap - who he can coach up).

In this situation, I think you have to look at the draft holistically. It seems most on the board these days want one of the DLs with that top pick, but the way I see it, there are so many good ones at this position in this draft that my strategy would be to hope to catch a good one at the top of round 2. Therefore I'm willing to let potential great ones pass in round 1 in order to take another position this team sorely needs (in my opinion, even worse than DL): linebacker. So, until my opinion changes again, I'm hoping for Von Miller at #3 mostly because I think the gap between he and any other LB in this draft is so wide. I really think he's a Clay Matthews type and will be all over the field for us - 3-4 / 4-3, whatever...not just a pass rushing OLB. Then, in round 2, I'll be sitting there with my list of DLs watching (probably with mild panic) as each one gets picked off but hoping that one makes it us. The DL board would look something like this: 1. Dareus 2. Fairley 3. Bowers 4. Quinn 5. Cam Jordan 6. J.J Watt 7. Phil Taylor 8. Aldon Smith 9. Paea 10. M. Wilkerson 11. M. Austin 12. A. Clayborn 13. C. Heyward 14. Liuget 15. Ryan Kerrigan 16. Justin Houston (ok, he's a pass rushing OLB, not a DE) That's a lot of DLs to all get picked in round 1. I figure at least one of has to fall into top of round 2, which is why I'm willing to wait. Figure only 1 - 6 are absolutely guaranteed first rounders. Of the other 10, probably 8 will also be picked in round 1, but at least 1 or 2 should be there for us. And you know what, if that many DLs really get picked ahead of us in round 2, it has to me that a good player at another position has fallen that maybe we can't pass up 6.

Have you seen Von Miller at the combine today? I don't see how we pass the guy up, what with the state of our linebacking corps

I'm looking forward to a few years from now, when Rex gets canned and someone puts up a montage on YouTube of all his guarantees that never came true. Jets run is over, it's all downhill from here.

Nope, mark my words Jets and Phins will fight it out for last in AFC East if there is a season this year. Bills will finish distantly behind the Patriots, but ahead of those other two teams.

+1 I keep seeing hopeful Bills fans mock him to us in the 2nd but guys he is going to be long gone by then.

Nice post. I agree with you, basically. However, I do take issue with posters like you (and there are a LOT of them on this board), who spew vitriol like "I think that the typical claims of certainty of a stone cold lock in terms of what he WILL do or SHOULD do say a lot more about the stupidity of the poster making this dead certain claim than they do about reality." when they encounter other posters who express their opinions in a different way than you do. Consider...you and I said essentially the same thing but in two different ways, but your reaction is to invoke a personal insult ("stupidity") rather than just trust your own ability to convey your opinion in your way and allow others to convey their opinion in their way. Frankly, I'm continually disappointed when I read junk like that on this board. However, I like your take on the Gabbert debate, otherwise.

Because Gailey (prefers mobile, athletic QBs given his choice) is our coach and Nix (heavy scouting of southern players and aversion to QBs who don't win in college) is our GM. If they were thinking of picking a QB, why in the world would they pick a Blaine Gabbert over a Cam Newton? Gabbert has nothing on Newton, not arm strength, not athleticism, not size, not his record in college, nothing except POSSIBLY the ability to contribute earlier and need to learn less (though, I kind of doubt this, since they are both coming from spread offenses) and that's really not a consideration with Fitzpatrick in the fold and the fact that any QB drafted would sit this year. So, what in the world would make anyone think the Bills would draft Gabbert over Newton? Only someone with utterly no knowledge of the team and the people making the decisions, I would think. Personally, again, I don't advocate a QB at #3 at all with this year's crop, but to me there's just no way it's Gabbert.

Guys that put these types of mocks out there show just how little they know yet are paid to report on this sport. I am genuinely surprised at Prisco because normally I rank him amongst those who is not this sort of terrible hack. There is absolutely NO WAY Nix will pick Gabbert. If in the vastly unlikely scenario the Bills pick a QB at #3 (god, with this batch I hope not), it will certainly be Cam Newton. Gabbert could not be a worse fit for the Bills.

Wow. That'd be just like the Bills. Make a great trade and then ruin it with those two selections in the 2nd round. Those are terrible. If we had 2 2nd rounders like that and picked Dareus in the first, they'd better be for ILB and DT. QB and TE? Really?

If they sign an NT, it will be Soliai, not Rogers, IMO. I sure hope so myself, anyway.

Okay, so yes I know that Von Miller is a 3-4 OLB according to what he has played in college. Apparently it was also proved (at least according to all I read) that he can also play 4-3 OLB well. So, now my question is this...if someone can play 4-3 OLB, what type of relationship does that have to 3-4 INSIDE LB (ILB)? It seems like the 3-4 ILB has to cover people more (we saw Poz struggle mightily with this) and it seems like that's more of what a 4-3 OLB does as well. What I am wondering, as you might be able to tell, is if we should draft Von Miller at #3. Initially, I was dead set against this (one of the "he's another Maybin" crowd) but since the Senior Bowl I have been questioning my assumptions. If the Bills really are going to play this hybrid defense - some 3-4, some 4-3 - wouldn't it make sense to draft someone who plays both (I know, Dareus probably can too, but this thread is specific to V. Miller)? Watching Matthews play for GB last night, I know he was also drafted as a 3-4 OLB which fits their defense, but when I watch him, it seems like he is just playing linebacker period. Sometimes in a pass rush role as would be typical, but sometimes in coverage, sometimes seeming to start in an ILB position...hell, he was even a middle of the field spy on Big Ben for lots of plays yesterday. So, does it make sense to get a player like that, that the Bills could play all over the field (3-4 OLB, 3-4 ILB, but even stay on the field and play 4-3 OLB when we go that way)?

The original cheater.

+1 It's amazing how naive some of the fans are or how easily they swallow a load of !#$* when it's spooned to them.

You're kind of making my point for me. An NFL Scout is supposed to differentiate between reality and what Kiper and McShay are seeing. Otherwise, why not have a bunch of us get together and vote based on what we are reading on the internet for who the Bills should pick? Lots of players look good in college, but a scout has to be able to judge whether the player has the tools, size, attitude, tenacity, etc. etc. to do that at the NFL level. Where do you think Maybin was on Ted Thompson's board? Bill Polian's? I guarantee these guys did not have Maybin in the 1st round on their boards, despite what McShay was spewing and what walterfootball.com said.

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you really thinking that Modrak had Maybin pegged for the 7th round (where he obviously belonged) and the "powers that be" said, no, let's pick him in the first?? No...I'm confident that's not what happened. Now, I am with you here. Maybe Modrak DID have Orakpo ahead of Maybin on his board and got "overruled" but Maybin must have been close enough behind on the board to even enter into the conversation (e.g. still rated as a first rounder, just maybe later in the round or early second). Sorry, this is STILL a big error in scouting. Okay, Todd McShay couldn't see that Maybin was going to suck, but our professional "scout" is supposed to be able to see this clearly.

Loses a little credibility comparing WAC to SEC when talking about Kaepernick vs. Brees. Brees went to Purdue (Big Ten). The SEC has nothing to do with the comparison.

Yeah, guys, you need to not got excited about all of this stuff at this stage, INCLUDING the crap coming from our own team. Nix comes out and says we are staying with the 3-4, and that we are definitely drafting a QB....okay...he's just throwing up smoke screens. You can't believe anything that's going on or said from now until the draft.

You're right, that's my fault. I was thinking of Erik Pears but I got the names mixed up. We had so many changes in the OL near the end of the season. This was the comment I was referring to: Erik Pears gets endorsement from Gailey Thanks! Considering I have a novel on submission right now with several agents, it's good to hear someone thinks I write well!

1. Resign Florence, Wilson and probably Poz. Let Whitner go. 2. Sign Paul Soliai. I like David Harris too and if we can get him, great. But IMO I don't think he's leaving the Jets to come play for us right now. The Dolphins on the other hand, kept a coach that is losing the locker room and I think Soliai will want to leave and won't mind coming to a division rival since we always play them tough. We haven't played the Jets tough in a while and I don't think Harris will look at our team and say "that's where I want to go." 3. Draft Best Player Available in Round 1, and fill needs with your other 7 picks. I don't care if BPA is Green or Peterson or any other position that is not a great need, you have to use round 1 to fill your team with top notch football players at any position. We've seen too much reaching for need in round 1 over the years. Yes, I still believe in the Spiller pick. Mendenhall looked like a bust his first year also guys. 4. Use your other 7 picks to draft DE, ILB, CB (after Florence, we are not that good considering McGee can't stay healthy and won't play hurt), SS (to replace Whitner), TE, OT, OLB. 5. If you can save a pick by signing someone to fill one of the above (say, Zach Miller as others have suggested), then fine, but right now I think the Bills are going to still be a hard sell for FAs and I think Nix is going to continue to build through the draft.

I know everyone wants to "fix the tackles"....and I agree. But I keep thinking how effusive Chan was in his praise of Chad Rhinehardt's play the last couple of weeks, and just be aware he may see that as a solution. Again, I agree we need to draft OT, but given the fact there are none available at the very top of the draft, we might be looking at this OL next year: LT - an improved and healthier Bell LG - Levitre C - Wood RG - Urbik (played very well before he got hurt) RT - Rhinehardt Essentially I think our OL is already on the roster, and between recovering from injuries (Bell, Urbik), improving in a new position (Wood) and a latecomer who played well (Rhinehardt), it may already be a lot better OL than we saw last year.