Bill from NYC

It might be a relief to message board posters like us, but it was a move marked by people desperate to keep their jobs. It was an ill advised move in a draft which was absolutely stacked at the wr position.

Nice to see that you have come around to my way of thinking. I have posted time and again that a draft is (imo) measured by who a team passes on as much as it is by who they select. And I am NOT talking about Brady in round 6, etc. That was a fluke. The Bills passed on Ngata, Cutler, and a slew of good blockers to draft this undersized, not particularly fast safety. Then, he actually HELD OUT, and signed a contract for 36 million or so and collected every last dime of it. Levy and Jauron destroyed this team. They had help mind you.....Look at who got drafted after McKelvin... http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/years/2008

I think that you know how much I enjoy your posts. That said, wanting the Bills to go 0-16 is impossible to defend under any conditions, let alone in a year in which they squandered a future first round draft choice which could quite possibly be a top 5 selection. The truth, in my strong opinion, is that even if the Bills reach 8-8, Whaley, Marrone, Hackett and Schwartz will be well deservedly fired. Think about it.....which of these men would get another NFL job at their current level? Whaley? I doubt it. Hackett? Little to no chance. Schwartz? Highly doubtful. Marrone? He would be lucky to get a job as an OC. My guess would be OL Assistant Coach. Brandon? He might catch on at Ringling Brothers. Maybe. Btw, Whaley's first draft was interesting. He took a first round qb and actually gained a second round pick while doing so. This, imo, is to be praised, given the talent of Kiko and Woods, a particular favorite of mine. The 2014 draft was marked by utter desperation imo. Whaley and especially Marrone knew that there days are numbered, so they went "all in" by trading the future for a wideout. They could have traded DOWN in this draft and picked a perfectly good receiver but again, their jobs were clearly on the line. My opinion of EJ might differ from yours. I think he would be fine as a read option QB. If his body cannot stand up, so be it. At this point Lewis is as good as EJ, although I readily admit that EJ has a higher ceiling. In any event my friend, there is NO room to defend wanting to go 0-16 in any season, and this would be the worst one to do so. May you, and anyone who reads this have a great 4th!

While I certainly hope that you are right, do remember that excuse making is par for the course of a Bills Fan. If Gilmore, the 10th selection of an NFL Draft, is a good football player in year 3, who's better than us? If not, perhaps the excuses will wear thin. Ya think, or should we give him 5 years or so?

1) Spiller. He is a modern day Roscoe Parrish. A flashy waste of a draft pick who posters compare to Barry Sanders. 2) It shouldn't be close, but it is. Gilmore is called a "shutdown corner," but he is frequently smoked and penalized. 3) As we speak, EJ is no better than Thad Lewis. When and if he does improve, I will be cheering as hard as any fan because we need him to get WAY better if we are to win football games.

I fail to understand why you take my "thoughts" and opinions to a personal level. I for one enjoy the dialogue. Spiller doesn't "suck." I hope this is clear. Is he the type of player to build a team around? Of course not. He, as I recall, wasn't even an every down back in college. And yes, he did play hurt, but so does virtually every player in every game. Btw, have you noticed how many posters do not agree with the pedestal upon which you placed Spiller? It isn't about ME; before this I had but 1 post in this thread which I did NOT start. I hope that Spiller can win us some games in 2014. We shall see.

Wow, what great numbers! In the other 7 carries, he gained a whopping 10 yards. Defensive coordinators around the league are certainly shivering. They also cower at the thought of our team being 2nd in rushing yards and 28th in Time of Possession!!! Spiller does nothing but win football games for the Buffalo Bills. He was a steal at #9, no?

Good point Promo! The truth is however that with Mr. Wilson in poor health and the inept Brandon in charge, Whaley, and especially the Syracuse crony mob had little to worry about in terms of keeping their jobs. A new owner will almost certainly demand more results. So, they traded away the future to get a wide receiver in a draft that was absolutely stacked with good ones. They went "all in." To you, I am sure this is a mere coincidence. Can you find a way to blame this state of events on Bills Fans? I bet you can!

Yes, the above makes perfect sense. Trading away a #1 pick to draft a wide receiver in a draft which was chock full of wide receivers (and could easily be a top 5 pick) was NOT a desperation move. In fact, Whaley and Marrone never even discussed losing their jobs to a new owner. If anything goes wrong, the fans will be to blame, right?

There is no reason for me to care about the Browns. I care about what is best for the Buffalo Bills to win football games and build a strong, winning franchise. Making the playoffs would be cool too, dontcha think? We might not even have a good quarterback, and Buffalo is not really a coveted place for free agents. And, football players do get injured, no? I have been through ill advised draft picks before as a Bills Fan. It's not an unfamiliar road. Players such as Gilmore, Spiller, Maybin, McKelvin, and Whitner come to mind. In this instance, we traded UP for a wideout with big time questions at QB. I hope that it works, and please don't let me stop you from loving the situation. But from where I sit I am looking at second string management trying to hold on to their jobs, which imo they will all lose. Let's hope I'm wrong. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't, and I'm not a shamed to say so. There will be other good receivers in this draft without a doubt. Meanwhile, we have no first round pick in 2015. The above is not to say that Watkins will not be good or even great!!! He might just be. And he might play SOOOO well that he will change my mind. I sure hope so but it's asking a lot at that price.

Maybe he will be the best player in the history of football!

Mario Williams is overrated? I like your posts but completely disagree. In 8 seasons he has 76.5 sacks, to go along with 14 forced fumbles and 5 recovered fumbles. This is how to win football games. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillMa22.htm

The amount of fans who think that Butler was a high quality player has always fascinated me. I think that he was a so-so player who was hampered by injuries. His production was minimal. Schobel otoh is frequently underrated but even at that, he doesn't belong on any list that includes Jim Brown and Sandy Koufax, nor does Lynch. Jmo.

First of all, it's good to see you posting. I think that EJ does have a higher upside than Dalton, but so did Rob Johnson. Imo, EJ is a read option qb who needs to run. I doubt that he will ever be a pure passer and I'm ok with this. But I wouldn't pamper him due to his knee if I was the OC. Dalton gets his team to the playoffs. Would I be ok with EJ getting the Bills to the playoffs? Absolutely. I would also be ok with Thad Lewis doing the same. Gilmore? He was the 10th selection of an NFL draft. Yes he has been hurt, but he did play behind a really good pass rush, no? A. Williams and McKelvin had career years in this system, and Searcy had as many big plays as did Gilmore. I don't have any preconceived notions as to what his production will be this season. You seem to, and this is great. I will say that the Buffalo Bills do need him to play to the level of where he is drafted and what he is getting paid. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that we are on the same page here.

That would be great. I hope that the pass rush doesn't fall off now that Pettine is gone, along with Marcel's sanity. If the DL plays at a high level, no more excuses for Gilmore.

You've got my well deserved vote.

The above would not shock me at all. My other guess would be Woods.

Nope.....I have changed my mind. Gilmore is s shutdown corner. He plays on an island. That said, how about Promo vs. any poster who ever has the nerve to question any player, coach, or the brass of this team. The fans are at fault for 14 years of utter despair, not the people who created this mess, remember?

The Cleveland Browns are now on the clock with the 5th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft (acquired from the Buffalo Bills).

If he was alive, Jerry Garcia. He wouldn't know anything about football or maybe what he was even watching. He would probably just hire people to run the franchise and 100% leave them alone. Oh yeah.....he would skip the owners meeting.

Fair enough. I should have been more specific in my prediction..... 10-6 they probably stay. 9-7, probably fired. 8-8 or below, so long. And I am not saying they cannot. As you know, we are rabid fans. We are patient to the point that there is a thread about Gilmore being a shutdown corner. A new owner will have nothing invested in this crew and would dump them in a heartbeat if they continue to lose. Jmo, but a strong one.

Are you being serious? If the Bills don't make the playoffs all of them will be out. It won't take a week.

I disagree with the first sentence. It's not unreasonable for fans to question trading away a first round pick (which could possibly be a top 5) for a wideout, in a draft that was absolutely STACKED at this position. Now, maybe Watkins will win us a bunch of games and we will make the playoffs. And maybe he will be TWICE as good as an other receiver that they could have taken at 9, or even traded down for and got extra picks. This is possible, but so is the worst case scenario. I do really like your comments wrt Mallett. He has no body of work to examine, but what we do know is that he has all the talent in the world. I hope he is a free agent in 2015 just in case Manuel busts out, and this is NOT to say that he will. I am only saying that stranger things have happened.

Which veterans did he mention?