Bill from NYC

Well as we know, there were no qbs off the board at #8. We also know for sure that the Bills were going to draft one. This was a given after the famous phone conversation. He gambled and still got the player he wanted, so this was smart. In term of his post draft statements, it would not have been appropriate for him to say that he had for instance Geno Smith rated about the same as EJ. In any event, it's hard for me to picture a scenario in which the team which was desperate for a qb, had their target sitting right there, and traded down 8 spots. Unless of course they had a solid Plan B. Jmo.

Great point. And count me as one who thinks that if the Bills draft an OT, the coaches should place him wherever they choose. This stuff about upsetting Glenn or hurting his feelings is a bit nauseating.

I love conversations like this and I am NOT trying to argue nor split hairs. But my question is how good do you think Murray will be? I ask because I think that if the Bills see a player who they seriously believe will be GOOD (doesn't have to be great),I think they should draft him very early. If they think he will be top 10, then its a no brainer. At this point, I would be content with a QB in the caliber of Schaub or Hasselbeck in their respective primes. This is because my goals are not lofty at this point. I want a superbowl win as much as anyone but right now, I want the Bills to make the gdmf playoffs. Does EJ have potential? Sure. But until I see otherwise (fingers crossed), I see a qb who is suited for a read option offense with bad knees. If they take another QB and he is good, all the better. Both of the QBs mentioned above fetched a lot in trades years ago and took their teams to the playoffs. The Bills need, especially with all that is happening, to make the playoffs. I can't stress this enough. Jmo.

I agree. Players such as Mario line up all over the place as well.

That's funny. And it means that when they are free agents they are worth 4x their weight in gold. And not all of them (Cutler, Stafford, etc.) are what I would consider to be great.

I don't fully understand what you mean here. I suppose what I am missing is just how much you like Murray. In other words, if I was GM and absolutely sold on a QB, I would draft him first, and concern myself little with what "experts" think. I have said this before.....if the Bills were all in on EJ last season, they would not have traded back. I really believe this, and think that they had another QB that they rated equal or close to him. My point is that if the Bills professional football people think they have a better prospect than EJ available when they draft, they should select him. QBs have huge value. They win football games in this modern NFL. And they are worth their weight in gold.

Congrats my dear friend! I am OK with what the Bills have done so far in this off season (other than losing Pettine), how about you? PS: Phil told me how great Pettine would be as a DC, and is a friendly Jet fan.

It already happened. He will be (or already is) the next Gale Sayers.

He sure is. The only player who was ever better in NFL history was Gale Sayers, and not by much.

I am very sorry for your loss.

He needs to show me a consistent body of work before I would label him "really good." And I think that I am being quite reasonable.

I know what you mean but you would find this on any message board for any team. I think that it's a reflex. These comparisons in themselves are not an indictment of racism and unless you know the individual poster, it's unfair to cast those types of aspersions. Back to EJ: I don't think that he is or ever will be a pure passer. I think that he can succeed in this league, but I doubt if he will unless he utilizes his ability to run it himself. This would soften defenses and help him develop. And as others have said, if the Bills see a QB they really like they should draft him. If EJ is good he will keep his job. If not, we will need another QB.

Agreed that pass rushers are always a need but I do wonder what Gilmore has done that is good enough for you to want to pay him huge dollars.

I was thrilled when they drafted Levitre. The truth is, I wanted them to select him with the pick in which they took Wood. When they passed on him I was sure he would be gone. Apparently so were the Bills because they traded up to take him in round 2. AL stepped in from day one and did a very good job for this football team. And btw, looking at the situation in Cleveland (26 million guaranteed for a Center), his contract doesn't look so bad now, does it? The Bills OL with Levitre and a first round OT (providing he is a good one) might have been actually GREAT.

If the above is true, why haven't the Bills been winning? They have spent the bulk of their top resources at DB and RB for a long, long time. As far as that quote from Marrone, wow!!! Could this explain what took him so long to be a head coach, let alone his record?

If Spiller was SO good there wouldn't be this debate. We are the biggest and best fans that the Bills have. All of us are wishing this #9 selection of an NFL draft would win us football games. Some of us want to pretend that he has. Others see a player who can't block, fumbles, makes stupid mistakes, and is stopped at scrimmage more often than not. Spiller can be chalked up to another member of a list of players such as Gilmore, McKelvin, and Whitner. These guys do have some talent, but if you use your best resources on players such as this you will surely lose. The Bills could really use a better all around back than Spiller. I also doubt if CJ is looking at much longevity. It's a shame that his trade value is all but worthless.

As well you should be. The Bills have a long history of blowing first round picks.

Maybe so Doc, but do or will we have someone to throw to this plethora of wide receivers? Like you, I have my fingers crossed for Manuel, but imo he needs to run. I try, but I just don't view him as a great pocket passer. QBs, blockers and pass rushers are what we should focus on at #9. Again my friend, jmo.

When Spiller wins football games for the Buffalo Bills, I promise to heap weekly praises upon him. Until then, I will view him as an exceptionally dumb situational player with talent. But we certainly can agree to disagree, no?

We can pretend that Spiller is a dynamic player. It is probably fun to do, but the fact is that he just is not. He has far too many plays in which he gains 2 or less yards. He cannot block. He often comes up short of the first down, and he is just plain dumb. Spiller is a decent situational player and even at that he needs lots of help. He doesn't seem to see holes very well and needs wide lanes. And let's not forget the injuries. Other than the above, he was a solid draft selection at #9.

Probably not, but maybe Spiller, a #9 selection of an NFL draft, is on his way out. Do you think this is possible? I for one do. If you disagree, let's have a conversation about all of the football games Spiller has won for the Buffalo Bills.

I can understand this. Btw, you were ahead of your time in talking of the importance of RTs. The thing is they still cost less, generally speaking. Fluker was the perfect RT selection last year, whereas he is a pure bruiser and will probably stay at RT. I do however think that things have changed a lot due to the new CBA. Draft choices cost pennies now, and it would seem to be a great idea to have talented, cheap OTs. This of course also applies to the QB position. Jmo.

What makes you think that if we don't draft an OT at #9 we won't lose Glenn?

Yes, they were good. The RT and Center got better as the season progressed, but nowhere near the level of 2012, and I mean not remotely close. Kouandjio is a good kid. If he is healthy he will play well in the NFL. He could play the right side, but don't expect a DJ Fluker. He might need more time to adjust. As far as RT is concerned, I think Fluker is more suited and even better than any prospect in this draft and yes, this includes Robinson. And btw, I am starting to believe that Matthews really might be there at #9. If the Bills draft him, it will be VERY interesting to see where he lines up.

Please trust me on this one CB, the above is not entirely true. It WAS true in 2012, NO question. In fact, I would call that OL the best I have ever seen in college. The OL in 2013 was good, not spectacular. After 2012 they lost Barret Jones, Chance Warmack and DJ Fluker. It is not possible to replace 3 players like this. Only Steen and Kouandjio remained from 2013, and they were the two worst players on the line in 2012. This must sound far fetched, and of course I am simply a fan posting on a message board, but I watch every game they play, and this is where I mainly focus. In 2013, the Tide was STACKED at skill positions, NOT on the lines. And wait until this fall in terms of skill positions. They have no less that 3 running backs who might be great.