damaynman150

My question revolves around what you all would consider a "Great run" for an NFL Franchise these days. I was watching ESPN yesterday and they had Joe Flacco on the phone. It occurred to me that the Ravens are always considered a great team and have performed very well for the better part of a decade. They draft well, sign good players and coaches, and are always competitive down the stretch. That said, they have not won a Super Bowl since the turn of the century. Other teams like this include the Chargers (I know they have been discussed a lot here recently) and the early-2000s Eagles. If the Bills were to have a stretch coming up where for the next 6 years they were competitive (think consistent 9-11 wins or more), made the playoffs 4 years and hell, even won the AFC East once or twice, would that be considered a "Successful" job by Buddy and Chan? Or are we of the opinion that unless you win a Super Bowl at least once in a run like that, the front office has failed? My Bills fandom started in earnest at age 10 in 1999 with the Home Run Throwforward, so I have not really known the Bills to be anything more than a horrible team, but for you guys who are going into several decades worth of rooting for the Bills, I'd be curious to hear your perspective on what standard we hold the Bills to.

Lurker, I hope you're right sir. I was a sophomore when the team won the MAC championship and it was a great time to be a Bulls fan. Since then, not so much... That said, there is a linebacker they have Khalil Mack who will certainly be drafted in the 2014 draft (possibly as a mid-round pick) and carry on some tradition. I always was hoping Davonte Shannon would get another shot too [Thinks to myself: Wouldn't he have a better chance than Byron Mulkey??]

Not sure how many UB sports fans are on this board but as a graduate of UB and a fan of the football and basketball programs, this is interesting to say the least: http://www.wgrz.com/sports/article/167380/4/Former-UB-Guard-Byron-Mulkey-Gets-Tryout-with-Bills My thoughts? Definitely thinking outside-the-box, and it might not amount to much anyways, but Byron is a really good guy and obviously has some athletic gifts (I knew him a little bit from my time at UB). Just probably a case of turning over every stone - which is never a bad thing. Does make me wonder what all of the ACTUAL UB football players who never got an NFL shot are thinking though...

RE: Reiff and Martin. You make good points on the idea that they are not starter ready. That is probably accurate (but obviously not 100% conclusive). I guess I just have a natural disposition of not liking the idea of drafting a WR that early. A three-year window is not my idea of a good use of a pick - especially since rookie contracts are now 5 years (I think). I just think a starting LB, DE, or even the possibilty of LT will do more for our team this year than a WR putting up "average" numbers for rookies. Just MHO. Of course these risks can happen to any pick at any position, so perhaps I am overreacting. I put my faith in Buddy/Chan.

Quickly: I have not posted on here in a very very long time, but I do check this page daily and love a vast majority of the insight and information I read. Also - this board was the only page I checked on my phone when traveling during the Mario-Mania day and that thread (yes, THAT one) was incredible. Anyways, this topic - and perhaps it was discussed in a previous thread, but I did search and nothing came up that I skimmed over - revolves around the idea of drafting Michael Floyd at #10. I 100% agree that our offense needs a few more playmakers and a number-two WR is a must. That said, looking back on the list of wide-outs that have been drafted in the first round, is Michael Floyd a best use of our resources? Let's get this out of the way: Michael Floyd is not an "Elite Wide Receiver Prospect" a la Andre Reed, Calvin Johnson, etc. He has some great qualities, but he is a much riskier prospect than say Calvin Johnson or AJ Green. A guy like Michael Floyd might in fact turn out to be a great player. But most prospects like him do not really blossom until their 3rd year. And that is what bothers me. This has become such a common factor that it is now a cliche "The third year for a WR is when they break out!" Is it doing our team any favors TODAY by drafting Michael Floyd at #10? Let's assume he has a "typical" year for a player like him and produces in the ballpark of other first round WR that werent considered "elite prospects" over the past 5 drafts (I discounted Calvin Johnson and AJ Green for "elite" purposes, and 2008 didnt have a first rd WR!) An average season is 40 Receptions, 570 yards, 3.5 TDs - I will not take the time to source my research but you will just have to trust me on the numbers. For reference, David Nelson put up 61/653/5 last year. Again, Michael Floyd might end up being a great WR and actually, the average numbers jumped up (a little) in latter seasons, but it does worry me that we might not see the pay-off in our top 10 pick for three years, especially if we can get a LT, LB, or CB that can start for AND PRODUCE for us right away. Thoughts? I know our team is not exactly built to "win now" but opportunity costs are still an issue. Am I being too short-sighted on this?

I don't post here very often anymore, but I like checking the board everyday anyways. I was at practice on Sunday, watching the D-Linemen hit the blocking sled with all-four's on the ground. This drill - and I'm no coach/player/scout - showed me a lot about explosion and raw power. A guy like Lionel Dotson, who is no small man himself, was hitting the sled and moving it about 3 yards to the left or right. It was cool. Marcell Dareus hit the sled backwards about 3 yards, and THEN quite literally picked it up and threw it another 5 yards left or right. This was impressive. Jasper was closer to Dareus than he was to Dotson, and frankly, was just about as good in this particular drill. Of course it's not real football, but his strength and explosion was quite noticable, even to the untrained eye. He has a chance.

sorry guys but i think the point of the post is getting missed. its not about which 4th string DT is getting cut, its about improving the team, which should be the number one focus on any post here. so based on that, what do you think about the rest of the post?

id take harrell over anderson in a heartbeat and rotate Tripplett, McCargo, Walker and Harrell... but since you dont seem to want to improve an area on our team like DT, we could just as easily grab up a CB then instead of waiting...

actually they carried 5 last year (williams, mccargo, tripplett, anderson and jefferson) but for the sake of the discussion, instead of trading Preston, maybe get rid of anderson instead... helps Denver out either way

Heres what i think we should/could do: The Denver Broncos have the 21st overall pick in the draft and have a pretty big hole to fill at DT where Gerrard Warren and Michael Myers are both old and losing their skills. A guy like Alan Branch would be great for them so... -ship the 12th overall to Denver for 21st overall and their 2nd rounder (to make things more enticing, maybe add a guy like Duke Preston who Marv and Co. seem to have cooled on considerably and since Denver needs more depth at OL too) Then... -@ pick 21, take Poz who, despite getting some bad rap on this board, would help our team and would be a good pick at 21. -with the 12th pick in the second round, grab up DT Justin Harrell from Tenn. -with the Denver 2nd rounder take WR Sidney Rice: I know hes not a name most people have thought of for us, but one poster here said that we need to help JP out as much as possible and Rice is tall, "deceptively fast" (aka ran a poor 40 but still can play) and has big soft hands. He could potentially steal the #2 WR spot if Price doesnt improve -With the 2 third round picks, we'd need to grab up a RB (Tony Hunt or possibly Antonio Pittman?) and a CB (Daymeion Hughes or Tanard Jackson?) A lot would need to happen for this to go through, especially not a trade for Turner, which Ive cooled considerably on in the past two days. But if all of the above could happen, i think most Bills fans would be content with our draft/team. but remember... IN MARV WE TRUST

Heres what i think: The Denver Broncos have the 21st overall pick in the draft and have a pretty big hole to fill at DT where Gerrard Warren and Michael Myers are both old and losing their skills. A guy like Alan Branch would be great for them so... -ship the 12th overall to Denver for 21st overall and their 2nd rounder (to make things more enticing, maybe add a guy like Duke Preston who Marv and Co. seem to have cooled on considerably and since Denver needs more depth at OL too) Then... -@ pick 21, take Poz who, despite getting some bad rap on this board, would help our team and would be a good pick at 21. -with the 12th pick in the second round, grab up DT Justin Harrell from Tenn. -with the Denver 2nd rounder take WR Sidney Rice: I know hes not a name most people have thought of for us, but one poster here said that we need to help JP out as much as possible and Rice is tall, "deceptively fast" (aka ran a poor 40 but still can play) and has big soft hands. He could potentially steal the #2 WR spot if Price doesnt improve -With the 2 third round picks, we'd need to grab up a RB (Tony Hunt or possibly Antonio Pittman?) and a CB (Daymeion Hughes or Tanard Jackson?) A lot would need to happen for this to go through, especially not a trade for Turner, which Ive cooled considerably on in the past two days. But if all of the above could happen, i think most Bills fans would be content with our draft/team. but remember... IN MARV WE TRUST

As of right now, right this moment, which has you honestly most interested and excited: -NFL Draft -NCAA Bball Championship -MLB Opening Day -NHL Playoffs/Playoff races -NBA Playoffs/Playoff races

...on second thought...

if we obviously traded for turner, he would be part of the two-back system. I believe that it would work similar to Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush (although a less-talented combo for the bills...) Thats why i dont get people being too concerned about Turner's lack of experience or questions about whether he can "shoulder the load." remember, Bush was like that too coming out of USC... Turner is a fantastic scat back with potential to be a real gamebreaker. The trade Im thinkin would be worth it is either: -Swapping 1st rounders and picking up SD's late rounder too OR -Turner straight up for a 2nd no one knows how a rookie RB would fare but at least we know a little bit about Turner... and again, he wouldnt have to quote-unquote carry the load for our team game in and game out

not saying one way or the other whether we should do it or not, but what would it set us back? if the cost IS right, i think him and a-train would be a formidible combo and then we can worry about other positions early in the draft (ie: LB, CB, #2WR, etc.)

sorry if this topic has already come up but i just saw that Eagles are shopping their DT Darwin Walker. Walker: 6'3"/294 Last year stats: 27 tackles 6 sacks 1 INT Career stats: 136 tackles 27.5 sacks 1 INT over eight years sounds like a good player and i guess itll only cost us one of our 3rd rounder plus maybe next years lower round again, sorry if already covered but id like to hear your thoughts anyways

hate replying to my own post, but i just noticed that King also said he came "thisclose to voting Lee Evans an All-Pro" and gave a lot of credit to Losman, Coach Jauron and Coach Schonert. more well deserved accolades and hopefully, a few more in the future.

not sure if this has been posted already or not but Peter King put Jason Peters as his starting LT on his All-Pro team. Look, I know that this board has a tendency to be hard on King (as do a lot of other outlets) but its nice to see our "Franchise Left Tackle" finally get some recognition. for everything that Donahoe did to screw up our team (which is quite a list), give him props for finding Peters

The way our OL has been playing the past few weeks, do you think we need to take an OL first round? I mean you dont take a guard at #16-ish and typically, any tackle that goes that high is going to be a LT right? but since we got Peters, would we spend a mid-1st rounder on an RT, esp. since Pennington looks decent for the time being? Personally, i wouldn't mind a LB like patrick willis or posluszny but assuming we dont resign Fletch (which i dont think we should do... even though i love the guy) I dont think a trio of Spikes, Crowell and Ellison is that bad. I do think that Clements should be resigned if this team and front office is serious about being a championship contender. Sometimes you have to overpay for talent, and im one to believe that Clements, for all his faults, is a top 15 (10?) NFL CB. Therefore, a CB 1st overall would be disappointing for me to see but a necessity should Clements bolt. The DT class doesnt seem to be particularly strong, esp in the areas we need them to be in: size and speed. A guy like DeMarcus Tyler wouldnt be a poor choice but he seems like a bit of a reach, no? In terms of Free Agents, I agree with the board that Eric Johnson would look fantastic in blue and red, as would Drew Bennett but i dont see Drew coming to Buffalo. Some team will overpay but i hope its not Buffalo. Why not swing for the fences with a guy like Justin Gage, who fits our system: a tall, faster WR who just needs polishing that Tyke Tolbert can produce. Just an idea. On defense, a guy like Robaire Smith from Tenn wouldnt be bad either: size and width to free our faster LBs. (PS: Dwight Freeneys a UFA too! riiiiiight)

coming off of a playoff year, the front office blew this draft. I knew that it was bad but after surfing on billsdaily.com, my eyes were opened to the complete waste that this draft was. the only player that was even serviceable now plays for Miami (Sammy Morris) and to think we wasted a pick on Erik Flowers... Keith Bullock was available, as was Anthony Becht! ha and i recall everyone saying how Corey Moore was going to be the steal of the draft because he was a stud in NCAA... this draft set us back at least a few years... Recap: 1. Erik Flowers- last i heard he was with the Rams last season, dunno where hes at now 2. Traveres Tillman- did he even see real playing time? waste of a second rounder 3. Corey Moore- heavily hyped, produced nothing 4. Avion Black- maybe was our returner thru preseason games or something, expansion draft to HOU, out of NFL 5. Sammy Morris- servicable backup for 4(?) years, now in MIA 6a. Leif Larsen- biggest contribution to football was in my Madden Franchise (made him a pro bowler in Madden 2002 for N64!) 6b. Drew Haddad- came, left, returned in 2005 preseason and probably should have made the team but didnt... out of NFL 7. DaShon Polk- yeahhhhh In retrospect, the rest of the 2000 draft wasnt great either as it gave us household names such as Courtney Brown, Peter Warrick, Ron Dayne, Sly Morris, Stockar McDougall, R. Jay Soward and Trung Candidate - all in the first round. At least the bills made up for it in 2001...

Who do you think the best commentators and analysts are on any of the following networks: CBS, Fox, NBC and/or ESPN? My moneys on Boomer Esiason and Al Michaels for commentators cuz they always stay true to the game. Analysts? Without a doubt its Jaws from ESPN. hes always the most informative AND the most informed in my opinion. I also liked the guy ESPN had, the former GM who was signed with Miami since, Rick something? I enjoyed listening to him alot too because obviously he knew how the NFL process worked. Guys like Irvin and Ditka though, sound like they just go off of Madden franchise mode or something...

I went to YouTube to watch a vid of Theismanns injury cuz of the talk earlier on the board about Kimmel's comment (you see, I was still a toddler when that injury took place) and instead, caught a vid of Willis' knee (yeah, that one)... ...damnnnnn... Four years later that still disgusts me.... ...and to think hes the starting RB for the Buffalo Bills! someone from above was on his side for that one.

Recall, bye-week changes to the OL and since, we're 3-1, should be 4-0! Peters is a stud. So far, I think I can count the number of "bad" plays from him on one hand! Gandy is doing much better. JP called him the "leader" of the group. Hes certainly no tackle though. Fowler is a solid center whos earning his contract so far. No botched shotgun snaps like teague either! Preston is a guy i really liked coming out of college and hes impressing me too. plus he can play a number of positions. Pennington has played really well too. but he was a 7th rounder so Im not sure if hes a long-term solution. *this is just my opinion on the players above. Im no OL-connosieur Still... I cant help but think how our line (and subsequently our offense in general) would have been had Mike Williams panned out. Consider: [Williams] [Gandy] [Fowler] [Preston] [Peters] ^ thats a Top 10 line i think... oh well... FINAL THOUGHT: we need to keep clements

weve all heard about the likes of Donte Whitner and the holdout to a degree but can anyone tell me about: -Ashton Youboty: wasnt he supposed to challenge for Nickelback? now all i hear about is King and Greer -Ko Simpson: earlier this year there were posts on this board claiming he might take Vincents job THIS year. After camp, where does he stand? Oh and this: is Matt Bowen goin to be hurt or will he make the team?

um, hes a RFA at the end of this year