Bill from NYC

I mentioned in post #5 that it was hard to see Wood. Perhaps it was because I didn't watch on a large screen TV. Also, I was focusing on Bell on almost every play (I know, I need a life ). But, there was some room up the middle to the extent that Spiller didn't automatically bounce to the outside on every carry. Once again, I am hoping that the Bills devote important draft resources to OL. Will Mr. Wilson allow them to? Probably, but after round 1. This is merely my opinion.

Well Promo, does the above lead you to any conclusions? Why do you think we get decent results from ufas and late round picks, and we consistently bomb in round 1. Coincidence?

It was very hard to see what he was doing on TV, but there WAS more room than usual to run up the middle.

1) Hats off to Chan Gailey for staying committed to running the football. This team needs long drives to keep the defense off the field. 2) Speaking of running, Fitz is a superb running qb. I didn't realize that he has more than 200 yards this season. I looked it up and he had more than 300 yards for the Bengals a few years ago. 3) Bell continues to confound me. With 7:37 left in the first quarter, there was some pushing and shoving after the play. A defensive back (#26) shoved Bell and actually moved him a few feet. On the next play, he gave up the sack/fumble. After that, I focused on Bell on virtually every play. Well, he admittedly held his own, and was blocking well in space. His balance and agility are beyond question imo. But I'm telling you, he is NOT strong enough. At least not yet. 4) How funny was that when Royal dropped that pass? Once I was at a tailgate at RWS, and I commented to a football genius poster here about how Royal was able to get open a lot. He stated that it's because he drops so many passes that they rarely bother covering him. I watched and it was actually true. How is that guy on an NFL roster? 5) I would have liked to see more from Troup and Carrington. Now is the time, or so one would think. I mean, we already know what Spencer Johnson can do, no? 6) Absolutely great play by Moats when he beat Joe Thomas. Yes, Arthur Moats beat freaking Joe Thomas for a sack!!! 7) I noticed that Fitz doesn't often seem to want to put air under the ball, and prefers getting his fastball in there. I saw a play where he would have been successful if he lifted the ball just a bit. Speaking of Fitz, he and Stevie Johnson really have a chemistry. They also congratulate eachother after plays. They must have practiced a lot while they were second stringers. 8) How could one not be impressed by David Nelson? I wish this team could do as well in round 1 as they do with UFAs and late round picks. 9) A win is a win. Yes, I am familiar with that cliche. I am happy about winning but would be a little more psyched about it if Delhomme wasn't just that bad. Seriously, I would prefer Trent Edwards, or even JP Losman to Delhomme. 10) Delhomme or not, congrats to the secondary for a well played game. Whitner had a very important tackle to hold them on 3rd down, and McKelvin the pick and nice hit. 11) Speaking of congrats, Mr. Wilson, by virtue of this win, probably saved a few million on the rookie signing bonus. The rich DO get richer; ain't it the truth? 12) Yet more congrats? Sure.....here's to long suffering, perhaps even self loathing and masochistic Bills Fans on a rare victory. 13) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the Bills lose this game, it might cost Mr. Wilson several million dollars in terms of the draft slot. Money has a way of winning battles, so I think we are looking at 24-14 Bills. Mr. Wilson, a good man, is one of those people who can make money the way Babe Ruth could hit home runs. The above is just a hunch.

Doesn't surprise me one bit. The man is cool!

Yes, but not entirely out of the question either. Both of these players attended small schools, so the learning curve was going to be there. We will see more of them in the next few games, and hopefully they will gain much needed experience. I am, as of now, happy with both selections. At least they are big, strong players. Btw, I think that the Bills will focus a lot more on offense in April. Sportswriters and fans are now complaining about the OL on a regular basis. It is no longer just a couple of chronic moaners on a message board. This OL is horrid for the world to see. Fitz, with his mobility, does place a bandaid on this gaping wound, but it obviously isn't enough. I hope they can get a "Bulaga" style RT. One that played LT in college but doesn't project to LT in the pros. I wouldn't put Love in this category because imo he does project to LT and his stock will rapidly rise. Either way, I am hoping for more OTs, and even another guard. I'm not so thrilled with Eric Wood at this point.

Spiller was an obvious Ralph Wilson pick, the goal being to draw more fans and increase profit. The problem is, the season is 3/4 over and Spiller didn't produce enough to sell tickets. Will he? One never knows but I for one doubt it. A qb WOULD sell tickets next season because that is the way it works. Luck will be gone and Ralph will draft Ryan Mallett, unless Dallas trades ahead of us and grabs him first. The thing is, this is the one time Ralph would be doing the right thing. Nix/Gailey can go after blockers and LBs in rounds 2-7 and free agency, but I digress. Spiller looks to be a tiny little gadget player. If he breaks one now and then people will have stats to point to, but he was a very ill advised draft selection in terms of the Bills winning football games. To put it into context, drafting Spiller was almost as bad as drafting Whitner at #8 or McKelvin at #11, and these picks were nothing short of utter idiocy.

You know, I actually tried to answer you but I cannot. You are kicking my ass. It is too much for me to even entertain the idea of a first round corner. Sorry.

I don't even know how well any of our TEs can block. Do you? I know Nelson cannot. Kevin Boss will be a UFA. He would make the Bills a better team the second he would walk in the door. Forget stats, the man is clutch, and he can block like an OT. He's a throwback to another era. The Bills would have to cough up more than market value for him imo, but he would be worth every penny and this discussion would be moot.

Again, I truly do enjoy your football posts. Time and again they make sense and are thought provoking. However, I will not debate the above with you. Nope, I will merely ask you to take it back.

First of all, that is a freaking great screen name for a Bills Fan! Your point is also well taken about letting players go. Losing Milloy led to Whitner at #8, etc. And, Roscoe did look good before he went down. I want to make clear that I am not calling for Parrish to be released (assuming he fully recovers from his injury). I stated that his release wouldn't surprise me. Mr. Wilson will only spend a certain amount of money overall and hopefully this regime, unlike Levy/Jauron, will be unwilling to tie up too much money on gadget players. I am not sure if we have one blocker on the team who makes as much money as Parrish, as sick as this possibility sounds. If there had to be a choice, I would rather tear up the contract of Levitre (notice I didn't say Wood) than extend Parrish, but this is merely my opinion.

Of course, but teams can also up their offers in the final 10 minutes. I am guessing that it happens all the time.

I won't. They ran up to the podium and made the selection in less than a minute.

I don't get the need for hostility but so be it. I question whether or not you see scores at the end of games. Have you noticed that we are consistently losing? Also, did you catch the fact that for the last 10 or 15 years, most of the Bills top resources have been allocated to shrimps, simps, and a couple of overpaid blimps? Go ahead and pull out stats that say: 1) Roscoe was a great selection. 2) Bell doesn't give up sacks. 3) Whitner has a lot of tackles. 4) Spiller isn't the only rookie to start out slowly. It might make you feel better but again, we are losing football games. And, one of the main reasons for this is because we are small, weak, and use our best draft selections to take players at positions and talent levels that were a dime a dozen. Other than the above, you raise some great points.

Thank you for this.

I agree with you, but there is some merit to the OP. Imo, it depends upon just how much money Nix/Gailey/Ralph want to devote to gadget players. Spiller is making a ton of money and isn't going anywhere. Look at it this way: There are individual offensive linemen that might be paid more than every blocker on our roster.....combined. I do not have the time nor desire to do the research, bit it is possible imo. Too much of the Bills salary structure is devoted to tiny little "speedsters," and the team is losing football games. Also, Nelson is a promising rookie who might be able to deliver more than Parrish. It is possible. In any event, I wouldn't be shocked if he stays or if he goes.

Until the pick is actually made, I will in fact fear that the Bills will draft a defensive back. Logic says they won't but history tells us otherwise. That said, if my hunch is correct, the Bills are going to draft a quarterback. Mr. Wilson sent Nix all around the country to scout qbs, am I correct? It is very hard for me to imagine him footing the bill for those travel expenses for no reason. And btw, this is NOT to bash Mr. Wilson. I am touched by his recent donations to the poor and elderly. He is a good man, and I sincerely mean this. He just has no business making football decisions imo.

This would include me. I was furious when he was selected, but I thought he would break a few long ones and sell some tickets. One can never win an arguement when there is no proof, but I will always believe that Spiller was a Ralph Wilson pick. Mr. Wilson saw what a rb like Thurman could do, and thought that this would be the next Thurman Thomas. Posters on this board often compared their sizes as well, to prove that Spiller was "big enough." Ralph also figured that Spiller could break some long, exciting runs and draw fans. Imo the only hope Bills Fans will ever have is for Mr. Wilson to let the Bills football people make the decisions. That, and to avoid bottom of the barrel hires such as Levy and Jauron.

And you are correct. Time and again I have praised his agility, but he simply isn't strong enough. Jumbo Elliot lined up many times against Bruce Smith. Very often Smith would dominate him, but other times Elliot would win the match-up. My point is that playing against a good, or even great DE is no excuse to get consistently beat because when a LT gets destroyed, so does his quarterback. Bell has improved, but he doesn't make the team stronger, and despite "global warming" , the weather is now cold. Running the football will matter more. The team MUST get stronger in 2011. If Bell is to be a good LT, he has no choice.

I don't see it. He could develop into a great kick returner, but he seems to be slipping backwards. People have called him a "shutdown corner." This is utter nonsense. He gives up yardage and he isn't a physical player. Face it, drafting him at #11 was an exercise in stupidity, just what one would expect from Levy/Jauron.

Point taken. But if I was his coach I would want him to tone it down just a bit. He has some beautiful receptions this year but his team is 2-10, and he continues to drop important passes due to his obvious lack of concentration.

Perhaps, but I wasn't the 8th selection of a draft. I'm a walk-on from Community College.

1) I am not going to pick on Fitz today. He had no help, and even went over to Nelson after the TD to congratulate him. He WAS trying. It appears he is turning into a leader. Imagine that. 2) Giving myself the right to go back and forth, I am once again going to call Stevie Johnson a possession receiver with bad hands. I am sick of his drops, and perhaps even sick of him as a person. Maybe I'm just venting. 3) Ding Dong. Is that the Avon Lady? No, it was the sound of Bell, getting his bell rung on virtually every play. I will never deny his agility, but he is every bit as weak as he is agile. Was John Fina stronger than this guy? Is this really our LT of the future? Is this what we waited 3 years to see? What a freaking mess!!! 4) "Best Player Available." Don't you love that term? CJ "Blood" Spiller. Is that what he was, the "BPA?" I think that if a 5 year old girl tapped him on the shoulder to ask him a question, this "BPA" would hit the turf, and hard at that. 5) McKelvin was just so awful today that I am literally laughing as I type. Laughing to keep from crying. Remember when Dick Mauron talked about how happy he was when McKelvin was still there at #11? I do however see what is wrong with him, and it isn't pretty. He is brainless, the poor guy. And he doesn't compensate with football instinct because he has none. 6) Speaking of mental lapses, Lee Evans went over the middle today. He bobbled the pass but did hold on. As I was watching the game, I found myself agreeing with those who post that Evans would have been a good player if he was on a good team. But, this was after 3 Heinekens. 7) I can't help it. I like Gailey and I even think Edwards will be an improvement over the Dick Mauron defense. But wrt Gailey, I felt deep sympathy when the cameras focused on him after one of the many Bills blunders. He looked so sad and confused. Obviously, he is a stanger to the long term despair, pain and calamity that serious Bills Fans are just so accustomed to. 8) To all of you Paz haters: He isn't great, but he is one of the players on this roster who belongs in this football league. 9) Thank you Donte for bringing me back to reality. That penalty for elbowing a down receiver was every bit as untimely as when you were selected with the 8th pick of an NFL draft. 10) There was NO right side of the offensive line today. Call it a chasm. 11) OK, so I am a little grouchy tonight. Complaints notwithstanding, I will never give up. If the Bills draft right, they can contend soon imo. What we Bills Fans have is a shipwreck, but one that I am proud to be a part of. Fans, give yourself credit for being loyal and legit! Some day our loyalty will pay off, perhaps in any number of ways. 12) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the board! Please send me a PM and tell me what school you attend. I too am in school and wish to speed up the educational prosess.