Bill from NYC

Again, it's not something that I am pushing for, but I must say that ringing endorsements are not to be trusted this time of year, if ever. Also I'm sorry, but I am really not impressed by Marrone. There, I said it. He has an OL background, and look at the disaster at LG last year. OL was to be his forte and he fell WAY short. There is no phase of coaching that he seemed to particularly excel at, and his clock management was flat out awful imo. It was his first try; I get this. Hopefully he gets better at his job.

I heard them talking about how the top 10 picks will play out. They agreed that QBs and OTs would be taken early. Kirwin said that the Bills will draft Lewan. Miller didn't disagree, and said that if they do, they will place him at LT and move Cordy Glenn to guard. They said that this would give them a great left side (I am paraphrasing but this WAS the strong message). I am not going to condone this move, nor will I summarily dismiss it. One thing that could prevent it imo is that Glenn would certainly not like this, and the Bills seem to be stuck in the mode of making sure that their players are content and loving life ala Byrd. I will admit the following: if this plays out and Lewan is a bruising, strong LT, I can picture Spiller running all day. Yes, I said this . And Fred, along with another big back would also benefit. Once again, this is not my suggestion. It's something I heard on the radio but it did pique my interest. Thoughts? GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The above is quite the poignant post KOK. Badol has pointed out many times that the team who signs a ufa isn't helped as much as the team that loses him is hurt. There are countless examples, but a strong one is Tampa Bay giving Revis 16 million dollars per year. 16 MILLION DOLLARS!!! Last time I looked their coach and GM were fired. The Browns have a ton of cap space, almost twice as much as the Bills, no? Byrd is not going to make them a winning team, despite the fact that their division isn't all that. That said, I can see an organization that is just that dumb breaking the bank for Byrd. If a strong team offers him the big bucks I will be pretty surprised.

Perhaps. But the Bills history is to draft players early that they place little value on. Then, they let them walk and replace them with more prime resources. Remember, the team that drafted AFTER the Bills took Byrd made a trade and picked up a first round pick in the following season. I am guessing the Bills could have had this deal. And if you recall, the Bills traded UP to get back into round 2 and draft Levitre. Both of these guys played well and are gone. The ugly scenario of the Bills drafting Clinton-Dix now exists and if they do this, they are flushing the franchise straight down the toilet. And I am a lifelong Crimson Tide Fan.

I have been wrong my share of times on this board. When the pair of losers that were Levy/Jauron drafted Whitner and dedicated the 2006 draft to defensive backs, I said that the franchise would take many years to recover. Well, that one I nailed. Here's another prediction: If the Bills opt to draft a first round safety, the franchise will never recover. They will lose for a few more years and leave town.

Are you saying that what Byrd/Parker did last season was OK, and my scenario is somehow not OK?

I respectfully disagree. They let Clements go after Marv made him a "promise," and we continue to lose football games. Parker is out for blood and I respect this. But teams have the leverage if they are tough enough to use it.

Why didn't they tag him and simply remove the tag in August just to screw him over and send a message?

Not for long. I just heard on Sirius that Kaepernick wants 18 million per season.

Two comments about the above: 1) Mario Williams is the most productive players on the Bills. His stats are great, and he takes blockers away from other defenders. 2) I would take Levitre over Stevie Johnson any day of the week. There are far more better receivers than SJ, and not so many OGs better than Levitre. Factor in a rookie qb and it's a no-brainer. Jmo Ragman.

I'm probably in the vast minority but imo letting Levitre walk was a far worse move than losing Byrd. We actually kept Byrd for a season. We let go of Levitre, and brought in a rookie qb who seems to need all the help he can get, and I'm being kind.

All of your points are well taken. This is why I am fine with the Bills slapping the tag on him. I didn't like seeing Bradham fly by him and it's enough of a concern to make me wonder about 50 mil. to a possibly hobbled safety. Again, I am for tagging him and sending a message.

Ya know Ghost Man, I wish I could disagree with the above.

I agree. I am not upset as others about losing Byrd. Giving a slow, injured safety 10 million per season is not a principle that I embrace. And keep in mind that the pass rush was SO good that players such as Leonhard and Searcy wee picking of passes. What bugs me is that the Bills continue to be pushed around by Parker. This continues a very bad precedent.

Actually this would be a good scenario. It would be great if the Bills didn't pay Spiller the big bucks. A case could be made that he isn't going to win us any football games. Has he ever? Good running backs can be drafted in the late rounds, let alone situational players.

Yes, and the above is a major reason for the losing culture about which you speak. Allocating that amount of resources to DBs and RBs makes it impossible to win in the NFL. Posters can show stats that will tell us how other teams drafted a similar number of DBs, but I guarantee that these teams already had their QB and both lines in place. I am not a fan of Brandon, but the good news is that he probably cannot do as much as Mr. Wilson to hurt the team's chances of winning. Mr. Wilson gave WAY to much power to Levy, and he was the one who over prioritized DBs to the point of absurdity. As for RBs, I think Mr. Wilson himself was the one who insisted on drafting them early. As recently as the idiotic selection of Spiller at #9, he was quoted as saying that the team needed "more excitement." I like to believe that these days are over. I think that a good draft (and some quality free agents) can make the Bills a very talented team. Quarterback remains the issue, and they can and should address this too. I would love to see them grab one of the 3 SEC Qbs (McCarron, Mettenberger, or Murray). There is just no reason not to take a shot at another QB.

Good post!!!! Many overlook the value of ticket sales and fan interest. For instance, if Manziel fell to the Bills, ticket sales would skyrocket. This board might not like it as much as the overall fan base mind you, although I am not so sure. I think that some posters who are sold on EJ would still be just as high on him even if he played worse than he did last season. But either way, Manziel to the Bills would sell out RWS and fast. This scenario would also sell perhaps a record number of Bills jerseys, t-shirts, etc. The team would make untold millions, and this matters.

Would you take a 2nd round pick for Spiller?

Dave, does this type of safety require great speed? I ask because the speed factor is my only concern with Byrd as a football player.

I don't have the numbers, but imo every position is going down in terms of what percentage of the cap a team will allocate to them except QB and possibly wide receivers. It's because of the new CBA. The union thought that veteran players would cash in due to the rookie scale, but it hasn't worked out that way. Last season, a slew of veterans were forced to take 1 year deals. At the same time, QBs such as Romo, Stafford, and Cutler are now earning approx. 18 million dollars per year. The ugly truth is that teams do not want to risk having the poor level of QB play that the Bills had last season. If EJ doesn't improve big time, there is little doubt that the Bills will be a lousy team. The rule changes made having a good qb an absolute must. It looks like Whaley is sold on him. If so they are in a good spot to draft players that will add talent to our roster. If Manuel can't cut it, they will draft in the top 5 or 10 next year. Watch and see.

What made the Price situation that much more bizarre was the fact that they drafted MaGahee with that pick, who was half dead. As I recall, he missed 20 games after being drafted, and they of course knew he was seriously hurt. They had a HUGE need at guard that year too, and Eric Steinbach was sitting there. The Bills litany of stupid, mindless draft picks is virtually endless. All we can do is hope. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and he would cost even less. Those of you who have read my posts over the years surely know my aversion to drafting defensive backs with early round picks. Vinnie Sunseri is going to be a very good safety, and due to his injury, he can be had in the late rounds. I have seen virtually all of his games. This kid makes plays and he is an extremely hard worker. He was coached by the very best, Nick Saban, who by the way wanted him to stay in school. He will be a flat out beast on special teams. I have ZERO doubt about this. They might even be able to get him in round 7, who knows? What I am saying is that if the Bills draft this kid, he will make plays for the Buffalo Bills, and perhaps even win us a football game.

Exactly, and they both sucked. Dockery took the cash and was not even trying. Walker was just awful. I think that many fans are clouded about just how much damage Levy/Jauron did to this franchise. Here we are, so many years later and Peters is still a fantastic player. What are Dockery and Walker doing these days? Trading Peters was absolute idiocy.

Absolutely, and people should remember that when the Bills traded him, he was far and away the best player on the team.

Fluker at 11 was pretty close.