Ennjay

I'm wondering if the plan is sort of a throwback to how the Bills first used Don Beebe. A speed guy goes long on every play, meaning some defender has to go with him (in a man) or a zone gets stretched. The underneath defense effectively plays a man short (or so it's supposed to work), and the chances of a mismatch or finding a defender out of position are that much better.

Chuck Knox was great at that too. Anybody else remember?

This was my original point (in bold), but I disagree with taking a QB at 8 because the BPA at 8 won't be a QB. They can get adequate QB value for this draft at 41, or even -- if I dream -- in the 20's if they can work a deal with Minnesota.

Two years ago Barkley and Jones were just waiting to pick up their Heismans. Now Barkley could go in the 2nd round and Jones in the 4th. I agree that's what they should do. But I don't think they'll do it.

I worry that the Bills will draft a mediocre-to-poor QB at #8, declare him to be the franchise guy, and waste three more years because they feel "committed" to him. Meanwhile we're now reading that Buddy thinks there's a good (franchise?) QB to be found this year, which just reinforces what I'm worried about. My question: do any other GM's or scouts or teams say anything positive about this year's QB group? Or is Buddy alone out on this limb while he's prepping his own fans? Serious answers only please. Thanks.

and I was too busy to post this on April 1 when it belonged. Seriously, any of these guys at #8?

Just an observation or two: it's really about havig exclusive rights to a player and not competing with the rest of the league to get him. Sure the 49ers have 13 picks, but they've also got a good enough roster that they have nowhere near 13 openings. So they either (1) cut/don't re-sign current players they can actually use, (2) draft players they can't or won't keep, and/or (3) trade some picks for others to get a better shot at who they want more than what they've got while reducing the inventory of picks. Meanwhile, a team like the Bills maybe DOES have ~13 openings, but even that's debatable if what's available (after competing for FA's with the rest of the league) isn't better than what they've already got. And don't start with "anybody would be better than [fill in the blank]," because it's not true. So part of what happens is that teams like the Bills spend training camp studying the 49ers' cuts because of scenarios (1) and (2) above.

Marrone will go with whomever gives him the best chance to win. Week 1 that's Kolb. Maybe the better question is, what week will he switch to the Rookie? I predict the week after the bye, so long as the bye is in the first eight games. Otherwise Week 9.

I don't hate Thigpen. I just think that on his best days he's still just "meh." Any team playing its #3 QB is probably done for the season anyway (although if you're Seattle or SF you won't concede that), so my reaction goes more to the question of what's the third QB spot for. A younger guy who might have some upside? If so, save the slot for your next draftee even if it's Levi Brown. Someone to run the scout plays in practice? Maybe that's what a Thigpen or McCoy gets brought in for.

IIRC, he was the first NFL coach to go with the 3-4 as his primary defense.

Have you ever noticed how some guys just can't be out of work? There must be a league rule that Tyler Thigpen must be on an NFL roster. Either that or he's got Roger Goodell's kids locked in his basement.

I could live with this by position although for each player I have the feeling the guy named in the OP is really a second choice at that spot. I think the Kolb signing means there will be no QB drafted at #8 and I'm good with that -- nobody in this draft is worth it and my greater fear is that they take a QB at #8 and feel a need to commit to him for the next three years, meaning they skip better prospects over that time and in 2016 the whole thing starts over again. I don't see the same commitment risk to a #2 or #3 round QB. I also think the Bills would badly like to trade out of #8 for more picks (say, a first round plus just about anything else in Rounds 2-4) but they'll have a hard time finding a willing partner until the last moment.

I just Googled Zac Dysert out of curiosity. His picture popped up along with Nassib, Glennon and Treadwell (?). The Tylers (Wilson and Bray) are passable, but what's with the rest of these guys? And yeah I'm bored at midnight on a Saturday.

I still think he's only using the Bills to get a better offer somewhere else.

I'll be the first to say what everybody knows: Davis is just screaming about Shanahan in this quote.

Um . . . yeah . . . Huh?

But don't they have the same hair?

That's what I'm saying. I'm afraid they're just going to repeat the Fitz story (and the JP story and the Trent Edwards story) by drafting someone who's not good enough but sticking with him for at least 3 years and then starting over again.

I'm curious about Kolb. He's not a Pro Bowler by any means, but he had as good a college career as any of this year's draftables and he was exposed in AZ by a woeful o-line. Between our running game and our line he may have more success with the Bills. Above all, I'm not impressed with any of this year's draftable QB's and somebody has to play the position. Maybe Kolb signs for a reasonabe price for not too many years. Neither he nor Tarvaris Jackson will ever be our Super Bowl QB, but . . . well, like I said, somebody has to play QB and drafting Nassib or Glennon in the 2d round and anointing him as our franchise QB for the next 10 years isn't going to make it so.

At the moment, this thread is the clubhouse leader for my So-What of the Day.

Everyone knows Manziel and I've seen some of Bridgewater. I know next to nothing about Aaron Murray. Anybody here have anything to say about him?

A lot of people say that next year's draft (2014) will have better QB's in it. Who are the one-year-away quarterbacks that we should be looking forward to? Really -- I can't think off the top of my head who is so good but not draftable this year. Does anyone on this board know who "they" are talking about? (And don't forget that once upon a time people were looking forward to when Matt Barkley and Landry Jones would hit the draft . . .)

I'm old enough to remember watching him. He was a Damn, DAMN fine football player. RIP Mr. Saimes.

20 years? You mere babe . . . The most pessimistic I've ever been was the year Jauron announced we would go no-huddle on offense and then fired his OC (Turk Schonert) after the last pre-season game. Then there was the year Harvey Johnson took over for John Rauch in training camp.

Here's my personal problem with drafting our own Jay Cutler: it would be the first time I ever thought Bucky Brooks was right about something.