Fan in Chicago

We cannot forever be against picking DBs in the first round just because Levy and Jauron pretty much blew the picks. Their fault was not that they picked CB and safety. Their error was in picking McK and Whitner at those high spots.

Covering superior TEs and run support

With all the inane draft threads going around, this one comes as welcome comic relief. Keep it going, guys.

Thanx for the link, nice find. "...we wouldn’t pass up a quarterback or any other position at 10.” More Buddy non-speak. Love him.

Signing Mario is consistent with win now and the larger good. He is a proven player and was acquired in FA. There was not a choice to make between him and another player who could have helped the team more in the long run. Such choices are made in the draft and in two drafts, I have not seen a single player selected by Buddy in the early rounds who would contribute immediately but not necessarily be the best at his position. Also 'sounds' like Ben Roethlisberger. What is your point ? That every QB with those measurables is RJ ?

Do you guys truly believe that if the FO believes that RT will be a good to great QB with a high ceiling, that they will NOT take him cos it interferes with the 'win now' philosophy ? That is total and utter BS (IMHO ofcourse). Guys, even now, with the way we have shored up the D, we should continue to fall down on the pick order every year. Couple that with the fact that every year there are 2-3 teams desperate for a QB and you see that it gets more and more difficult to acquire a ready-for-NFL QB as years go by. Buddy may have said 'win now' but which of his actions so far have indicated that he willing to sacrifice the larger good in favor of immediate returns ? Even the BPA mentality is premised on the logic of getting a player who will have the most long term impact on the franchise. And no other position embodies that more than the QB position. We should have drafted one last year, but if one is available at our pick spot, we will take him. I don't know if RT is that player, but if the FO believes that and he is sitting at #10, we will take him.

No matter what one thinks of Sanders, spousal abuse is not something to joke about. In this particular case, pending more information ofcoruse, it is telling that Sanders did not hit the two women back. An ex-NFL player like him, IMHO, could have handled and injured them if he wanted to.

So essentially this chat was a waste of everyone's time ? I think it provides entertainment and occupies people who try to interpret his obfuscations into pick predictions. As it stands, he has said so many things about the different positions that no matter which we pick (except for TE), there will have been some Nix statement that hinted towards that pick. Which also means that there is really no point in trying to guess the pick based on his answers.

Its not about difference in perception by the coaches and fans. I have no way to know what Gailey et all are thinking but IMHO, they don't have any better options at QB right now. They will stock the roster as superior players become available, including the QB position. I felt that they should have picked up one of the many QBs last draft (in Rd 2+) but apparently they did not think one was BPA at their pick position. Not to say they won't do it this draft. Fitz looks perfectly fine as a caretaker who transcends his lack of arm strength and accuracy with superior decision making. This is fine perhaps to get us to the playoffs but in the critical games, we need someone of higher caliber.

Let me flip that around. If there is little drop off in value between 10 and 20, why wouldnt we want to trade down and get an additional pick ? Even if it is not, say, a 2nd rounder ? Theoretically, anything we get will be gravy if we truly believe in value.

I realize you wanted the Bills to draft him last year also. The FO shipped off Lynch mostly worried that he would get into more trouble the way he was going. This FO does not look like one wanting to take chances on players. There is a dearth of talent on this team right now and we need the picks to fill them (considering that our high needs of OT, LB and WR could not be filled in free agency). Whether he will get his issues corrected is besides the point, IMHO. The FO is too risk averse - perhaps they may act differently in a year or two when the cupboard is stocked. having said all this, it all comes down to the cost. If the Pats* are willing to settle for a 5th, for example, I may not mind the risk.

Nice. This past weekend some channel had Independence Day and even though I have watched the quintessential popcorn flick at least 4 times, I had to watch it again. Makes little sense. But I did not care, still don't care and think it is one of the best summer movies of all time.

Probably NFLN for me but will record Berman just to see his reactions to the Bills pick. Considering this event is more important to us than the Oscars, who will you wear ? My choice is Hanes.

You talking to yourself again, SJBF ?

"96 Tears" No friggin' wonder I am a Bills fan.

That was funny as it is turning out to be very true. If things keep going this way regarding players not retained by Nix et al, the league will cut to the chase and immediately give up on any guy let go by the Bills.

Stevie has put up some pretty impressive numbers the past two years especially considering the lack of another viable WR on the team. Evans basically did not exist in 2010 and in 2011, there was hardly a second WR who could compete for the ball in every down. I think if (when) we draft an impact WR, we will see some incredibe numbers from Stevie.

Filled the team's biggest need and is selling tickets as well.

So Simon - how come you have not posted your thoughts to your own scenario and the 4+ pages worth of responses ? Did you mean to say that you like these choices or just doing market research on behalf of the FO ?

I am assuming you are asking our opinion if both the above were to happen. I will be happy with either of the two above happening as we need a WR and the above are presumed to be elite-class WRs. Floyd comes with some past troubles but considering the emphasis the FO places on character, us picking him will imply Nix is comfortable that Floyd has overcome those issues now. But I will not like the Bills picking both of them with our top two picks because we need immediate help at the tackle spots and probably at one LB spot (in addition to WR ofcourse). While we can pick the other roles lower in the draft, it reduced the possibility that these latter picks will help us immediately. So, in short, while the individual players may be very good, it will be allocating some very valuable draft value to the same position in the same draft and hence, I am not in favor of it.

I have a tough time believing that the Bills were offering significantly less than $3 MM especially given the current stack of LTs (or lack thereof) on the team. Hence, though the $8+ MM roster bonus for 2013 seems attractive at this point, there is very little chance Bell actually sees it. Hence, it is a gamble on Bell's part.

If the Bills offered similar annual money, it would be a surprise that Bell didn't accept it. I wonder what Peters was whispering in his ear ("stop working for those cheap ******** and come play for a real organization"?). Bell should realize that if Peters comes back healthy in a year, there is no way he will see the 2013 bonus and Peters return will be the reason for him being back on the street. I realize that this is an awful lot of speculation but this smells of a stupid decision on Bell's part. Perhaps his agent and Peters convinced him that the Eagles' deal was somehow better.

They don't ? Under the guise of sarcasm and outrageous-sounding analogies, I think he makes many good football points. Whether I agree with them is another matter, but witty he is.

Given the same financial premise that you are making, I see the situation differently. CBs are highly paid because good ones are tough to come by. Which is why teams have to draft DBs frequently in the hopes that they hit on some good ones. Also, financially restricted teams may choose not to pay $10MM+ for a CB which again means there needs to be a constant supply of DBs from the draft. Now, from the football perspective, while the front 7 are extremely important on both passing and running plays, there will be the free scoring teams such as the Saints and Pats* who will be tough to stop purely with front-7 pressure. Brees, Brady etc will get their completions - the goal will be to contain the damage which is where we need good DBs. Overall, I agree that drafting a CB this year in round 1 is not as preferred as say drafting a OL or WR. My personal preference is to draft the best out of WR, OL and LB. But I willl not be too upset if we again draft a CB in the early rounds.

That is my concern as well. There has been a lot of attention paid to the D side of the ball over the past two drafts and this current FA. While that was fully justified, the offense at this point is more depleted than last year. As for Hairston, I liked the fact that he showed so quickly (in his rookie year) that he can man a tackle spot. Whether he is a long term LT or dominant RT remains to be seen. Another factor is that this FA hasn't thrown out good tackles in the market. Which means the draft remains the only way to stack the roster. One move I disliked last year was letting Hangartner go without adequate replacement for depth. We better not go into this season with a wish and prayers against injury. We need to walk out of this draft with at least one WR and two OL. I dont mind if we shore up the LB and CB corps besides these picks.