Bill from NYC

I respectfully disagree. Smith has picked up KEY first downs all season long. I can't put stats or numbers behind it, but I feel as if we simply were not picking up many first downs on 3rd and 3, etc. for years. And I truly believe that before the season is over, Brad Smith will win us a game. Absolutely. Spencer Johnson was all over the place and had the best game of his career.

Well said, and the kid is a rookie who can play any position of the defensive line. I can assure you that Mangold is going to be thinking a lot about this kid during the week.

1) If you look back at the last dozen or more years, Andy Levitre was easily one of the best draft selections made by the Bills. Not only did he man the LT position, he did so without a ton of help. 2) Fred Jackson is at the point where he is flat out amazing. There is not a more consistent back in the NFL right now. 3) I LOVE the respect that Gailey is getting around the league. Even Jimmy Johnson was raving about him. Did anybody see when he was talking to Fitz on the sidelines for 20 or 30 seconds and then shoved him back to the field? How cool was that? 4) Troy Aikman raised some points about the wildcat. He hates it; I however love it because of Brad Smith. That said, he mentioned that he would have been furious at being lifted on 3rd and 2. This says something about Fitz. Is he complaining? No, he is following the coaches orders/gameplan in an unselfish way. There is so much to like about Fitz I wouldn't know where to start. 5) It's amazing how good a secondary can look when there is pass rush, no? 6) Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, (don't tell me this town ain't got no heart), WHEN I CAN HERE IT BEAT OUT LOUD! 7) Dareus took over the game today. That kid was busting people up. The sacks, as tremendous as they were, were an added bonus. A healthy Dareus will do nothing but get better, and make life WAY easier for the rest of the DL. 8) Thankfully, Gailey is WAY more aggressive than me lol! That said, I was sick to my stomach when Fitz threw the pick right around the deuce at halftime. 9) Was I hearing things or did Aikman say that Stevie Johnson was the only WR on the Bills who was actually drafted? That is freaking amazing, and perhaps unprecedented. 10) Chandler runs beautiful routes, and yesterday he had some great blocks on running plays. We HAVE to keep him. Period. 11) People, despite a brutal schedule, we officially have a better record than last year. The jets have a lot of talent, but I'm not scared. Nervous? Always, but not scared. If we can beat them, we are serious contenders. How cool is this people? 12) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice thread e-man. I am thinking that in order to win this game, we need production from Batten and especially Chandler. If Chandler can get us some first downs, or even a TD, this will mean that he won't be needed to stay in all the time and help our decimated OL. Also, I want to see more of Brad Smith today. I am of the very strong opinion that this kid is going to win us at least 1 football game this season. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to be offensive, but why is it just so important to you that there are people who don't agree with your views? Also, do you think that a good game today (his 23rd) would automatically serve to validate this draft selection?

I agree with the above word for word. And, I think that they can fix the defense. As the Senator states, they should go straight to Alabama. Upshaw and Hightwer are both future stars imo. Just immediate impact players.

I feel the same way, but I think that we both know that the Bills will need at least one VERY good draft to get to the next level. The Bills are not the type of team to sign high profile free agents, and I don't care so much about this. This does however mean that the draft means more to us than it does most other teams. If Nix/Gailey go into this coming April and avoid the dumb draft mistakes of the past, the Bills can contend sooner than later. I suppose we have to see it to believe it.

Brother, your point is taken. In a risk/reward situation, the reward was huge. In the preseason game vs. the Bears, he looked like an all time great. If he would have played almost as good as that, this could possibly be a 6-0 team. Nix has more to prove no doubt, but I can't fault him for taking a shot with SM. Jmo.

It's gonna take some time before a majority of posters admit that Spiller was a mistake. It was the same with Losman and Whitner.

Agreed. Batten will see more time and we will soon know if he has any game in him.

A lot of what Dareus does will not show up on stat sheets. He pushes back the l.o.s., and this is something we haven't seen since Big Ted and Pat Williams. Also, when was the last time we used a number 1 pick on a defensive lineman? Erik Flowers? I like the pick, as well as the frame of mind when he drafted Troup and Carrington. Also, Nix made an extremely bold move at WR. He traded Evans, and wound up with a bunch of receivers who get open. I have to praise this as well. I was screaming for the Bills to sign Boss, but Chandler has played very well. Another good move, ya know Dave? The Spiller pick was a head scratcher to say the very least, but Nix/Gailey got lucky with the production of Fred Jackson. I guess we always say this, but this coming draft will be the most important one we face for a while. Want a linebacker? Alabama has 3 that look great. They also have DBs that look like players and you won't have to burn a #1 to get one. Offensive skill players are playing well for us and don't look to be our problem. Next year, Gailey/Nix look to be in a position to move the team to a higher plateau. We can only hope.

Get yourself together and grow up. Seriously.

crayonz is a very funny poster. All of his stuff is tongue in cheek and just a few steps below hogboy (the greatest troll ever) in terms of quality. His best work involves inter-divisional wins. My daughter once called me about this lol. That said, he is a BIG TIME Losman fan. He is one of a few who cannot get over JP. I only hope that we face him JP this season. He is an awful qb. Simply awful and even way worse that Trent.

This was a very good post. I suppose the answer to your question depends upon what one as a fan wants. PM is the only QB I have ever seen who could carry a football team to the extent that he did. Do you disagree? And, you wisely pointed out salary cap implications. They HAVE to take their toll in such circumstances. The OP, in his eternal quest for a "consensus" on a football message board (what he means is that everyone must agree with his rather pedestrian views), calls Manning a "money grubber." This is, imo, a ridiculous tangent he is running with. PM won the Colts a superbowl with a good, not great team. He got them back, well into his thirties, with an average team. Your question about whether it is the right move to build around a quarterback rates a seperate thread. We probably will not reach a "consensus," but I think it would bring out some great dialogue.

Agreed, and I want to float a premise out there..... I make the case that Aaron Schobel was not THAT far behind Freeney. I do this btw without looking up stats. Very often Manning would put up huge points early, and Freeney, a very fast player, could pin his ears back and go for the sack. My point? Manning had a huge impact on the Colts defense too. I could easily be wrong but when the Colts won the Superbowl, I didn't think they were THAT good. Just a perfectly constructed dome team, with an all time great at QB. The year that they lost to N.O., I thought they were average. Manning had perhaps his best season to get them to the SB. The man (who I hope never risks his health and plays again) made as much as a difference, I think more, than any 1 player ever made to a team. Polian built around this and won big time. I'm with you.....Kudos to Polian! One of their many faults was that they tried to build a team as if the Bills too play in a dome. They do not. They play in the elements as do 2 of their divisional opponents. And, they stunk up draft after draft, as well as free agent signings. Polian has a proven record of winning. It's beyond dispute. Jauron can't get a job as a head coach, and Levy all but destroyed this team as GM. No comparison.

Careful, he might hang himself on the mere premise of being slighted by someone as all knowing as you.

There are so many ways to go with this..... 1) The Bills have never been in a situation where they have a top 5 all time qb on their team who ate up such a huge chunk of the payroll, let alone in a salary cap era. 2) For the record, the year before they drafted manning, they too Tarik Glenn (LT) and Adam Meadows (RT) in rounds 1 and 2. 3) Polian (no, I don't have a link) admitted that he was either missing on picks and/or neglecting the OL of late. 4) The Colts are a dome team. Their defense was small and fast. A player such as Freeney could pin his ears back and go for the sack because Manning would pile up points and make teams have to pass. Manning made that team. It's been obvious for a while. In other words, Polian isn't the problem. He built his team according to circumstance, and probably whiffed a few times along the way. He is a winner, and built great teams wherever he went. He has a line of people who worked under him that were successful. Think about Polian, then give some thought to Levy/Jauron.

Bravo!!!!!

These are the positions that would make us a better football team. Sprinkle in some bargains at other positions (hopefully from the Crimson Tide), and we would (imo) immediately have a very good football team. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK.....when do you project Nico Johnson and Donta Hightower from Alabama to go?

You left out the fact that Cincy has what is probably a better than average offensive line. You will hate hearing this, but we agree 100% on the above. Go ahead and edit.

Same here. I am guessing family issues and I wish him well.

I agree. QBs get crazy contracts. Here is a prime example: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2951390 They need to lock up Fitz for a few years.

There is every reason to believe that Gailey has a great offensive mind. And, he seems to be an absolutely perfect fit for this team.

You answered your own question.