Bill from NYC

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.

Yes, Manuel does seem to have more potential than Lewis. And I agree 100% wrt Murray. If not him I hope the Bills draft Mettenberger of McCarron. If one of them develops its a homerun because even if EJ turns out to be great, the trade value of qbs is tremendous. They would be insane not to take a shot at one of these qbs, but we have seen it before.

I assume we are talking about style more than skill. Is this correct? If so: I think that AJ McCarron plays like Schaub did before he fell off the cliff. I also think that Aaron Murray plays in the style of Drew Brees. This is not to say that either kid will be as good as those to whom I compare them. Especially Brees, who is literally great. This is what I see in their style of play.

Don't forget that Stevie and Fitz practiced together as scrubs. They were quite familiar with each other. A case could be made that Fitz was instrumental to the success that SJ has accomplished.

Hey, we agree on something! I can't predict the future, but as we speak I do not think that Manuel is a better QB than Lewis. JMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a majority, but not all of the difference imo. Remember, this team was playing hurry-up most of the time. This with inexperienced quarterbacks and coaches, all the way up to Marrone, who btw needs to improve his clock management skills in a big way.

This was just announced on Sirius. I was about to post it.

As a HUGE Tide Fan, a quick word of caution about Kouandjio and Steen.... In 2012, they were the 4th and 5th best blockers on the Tide. Sounds crazy, no? Well, the 2012 Alabama OL was SO good that their LG (Warmack) was drafted at #10 and Fluker, a RT, was drafted at #11. Barrett Jones lasted until round 4, but only because he was injured. Steen played between Jones and Fluker, and that is quite the edge. To put it in perspective, if Fluker was coming out this year, I would grab him at #9 in a second. The kid is great and was a smart, bold pick by the Chargers. Jones actually played LT on the 2011 championship team. I think that he was moved to OC because Saban needed to fill an upcoming hole. My point? Although I see virtually every Bama game, it's tough to rate Steen and Kouandjio. Steen might be a "mauler," but I am not 100% sure. He isn't very big for a RG at 305 lbs either. Don't misunderstand, I like the kid, but I have a feeling that these two might be drafted later than we expect. As for Mosley, he reminds me of Kiko much more than a run stuffer. He is a complete LB who is disciplined and smart. He listened to his great coaches. Taking him at #9 seems a tad early to me, but I wouldn't be upset if they grab him. I expect him to be drafted by the Giants. Just my $.02 as a Crimson Tide Fan. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is exactly right. The Bills also save a ton at the qb position. With the new cba, draft picks cost WAY less, but the players who profit are the QBs. Jay Cutler will earn approx. 6x as much as all of the Bills QBs combined. Yes, Jay Cutler. Yet, they didn't want to pay Levitre. Go figure.

I hear ya! The truth is that while we don't truly know if QB is a "dire need," chances are it is. Presently, we have 2 QBs on the roster who IMO are about the same. Manuel would appear to have a higher ceiling, but he certainly has some huge obstacles to overcome. Lewis intrigues me, but it's tough to visualize him playing at a star level. Btw, I think that RB is a major (not necessarily dire) need. Yes, I said this . Fred is old and Spiller is a nicked up situational player. And, I am seeing a trend (which I for one like) toward the big, physical running back. Odds are very strong that either Spiller, FJ, or both will be injured this season and it would be nice to have another talented rb on the roster. The need at LG is about as "dire" as it gets. No explanation needed. I also consider OT a dire need. What happens when Glenn or Pears get injured? Again, injuries to huge OTs are more likely than unlikely. Despite the above, I do think the team is talented. The Bills need to develop a quarterback, and we will see whether or not Marrone is able to compete with other coaches. This could also be a "dire need." Big mountains to climb, no? GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One need not be the "smartest guy in the room" to know that it's a sad state of affairs when (and if) a situational running back is your most dynamic player. It's more of a reflection on the state of the Bills than it is kudos to Spiller. In other words, I would rather have Lacy (mid second rounder)on my team than Spiller any day of the week, but Rogers is certainly the most dynamic player on the Packers. Agreed. But it's a bit easier to play when your front 4 are getting a huge number of sacks and pressures. My point? It's not great when one can make a case that a #10 pick in the draft was your 3rd best corner. Would you be happy with similar production from our #9 this year, or would you want just a little bit more?

If I was his agent, I would turn down the above numbers. I could easily be 100% wrong (wouldn't be the first time), but I think that Chandler will sign somewhere for closer to 3 mil. per season with a similar number as a bonus.

Whether true or not, this is one of the saddest sentences that I have ever read on TBD.

Sad but true. Here's mine, and it won't be popular: By the time the season is over, we will have a full blown QB controversy. Thad Lewis will have won at least as many games as Manuel. This doesn't qualify as a "prediction." It's more of a strong possibility. We have been through this before.

I don't disagree with any of the above. That said, if Fluker was there this year at 9 I would want the Bills to jump all over him.

Mike Williams. DJ Fluker was drafted #11 and I credit him in a big way for getting his team to the playoffs. I think that with the new CBA we might be seeing more of this. Draft picks are just not that expensive any more.

Excellent observation. SJ and Fitz were second teamers together before they became starters and developed quite a chemistry. EJ was a rookie who lost time due to several injuries. They had little time to get used to each other.

Thank you for bringing a smile on this freezing morning after yet more snow! Your post has some merit mind you, but coming from a poster with your screen name makes it GREAT, something Bills Fans can understand. OK, other NFL Fans get to see their team win football games, but they miss out on a huge amount of comedy!!!

I totally see your point, but I can't say that I fully agree. When the Bills make bonehead plays such as the pair of drops by SJ and Chandler, it cements our image of being a laughing stock of the NFL. A bunch of clowns. One good thing about being a Bills Fan is that we truly appreciate wins! I shouldn't care as much as I do (this probably applies to most posters imo), but I am literally thrilled after a Bills win, even if it comes against another lousy team. 8-8, to me, is WAY different than 6-10 because we have not seen .500 in much longer than I care to recall. The Bills enter this season with a completely unproven coach and a QB who at this point looks about the same as his backup. We simply cannot afford to give away games.