gobillsinytown

THANK YOU.

The Wonderlic and the Combine are nothing but hype, and an attempt at statistical justification for the GM when he has to go to the owner to explain why he's going to spend so much money on one guy in the first round. As proof: Charles Haley was considered undersized, stupid and had many "issues". No one thought he was going to be able to even make an NFL roster.

Relax. The truth is, the "draft experts" don't know much more about players that we do. The first round is ALWAYS a crap shoot. The first round is driven by the agents, who make most of their money on day one. They stand to make millions in the first round, so the hype machine is in full gear months before the draft. Remember, almost every single "draft expert" loved Mike Williams at #4. The first round is boom or bust. The REAL draft starts today, because that's where NFL teams get the majority of their (eventual) starting players. I'm not sure what your expectations of this coming season were, but even if the Bills had picked "name" players in the first and second rounds, they were still going to be mediocre at best.

If they're going to play a "Tampa cover 2" defense, they're going to need: A fast, tough safety, and athletic corners who can tackle. I think if Huff had been there in the first round, they would have taken him instead of Whitier (sp?). This pick is in line with that defensive philosophy. This draft is starting to make a little more sense to me from that standpoint, but there were still enough talented D-linemen in the first round that would fit the new scheme. I think they're going to regret not taking a DL in round one, unless Marv and the defensive staff can work some magic in the lower rounds. During the previous Marv era, they always managed to find starting talent on the O and D lines in the lower rounds, so let's hope they can do so again. As far as what the "draft experts" say, they're not any more accurate with their predictions than we are. Guys like Mel are good at selling themselves, but the truth is his picks aren't any better than ours. The national media may be roasting the Bills on their picks, but that's happened before and the Bills have proved them wrong, and the senility remarks are getting irritating.

I knew it! I just knew we would get a "bring back Donahoe" psot with this pick.

On the line, I think the two biggest factors are trunk strength and leg strength. While it's true that having strong arms is important to keep people off your body, playing with leverage requires strong legs and a strong torso. Some of the best linemen in the league didn't set the combine on fire with their bench press.

While I'm sure that's true, I'm assuming the team makes up for it with corporate luxury boxes, naming rights, etc. The cardinals have access to far more $$ from that area than Buffalo does. Phoenix is a growing market, and companies can afford to pay exhorbitant prices for luxury boxes just for the networking and prestige value. And that's the problem: The game has noting to do with it. It's more about the prestige of the luxury suite, networking and talking shop with other businessmen. The game is unimportant. I think this is avery dangerous precedent, because teams like Buffalo (And there's more than one small market team involved here) don't have the kind of business community that can afford luxury boxes. I live about an hour away from Pittsburgh, and have been to a couple of Pirates games. Guess what? nobody's watching. There's so many other forms of entertainment going on that the game is secondary. That might work for baseball, but it's bad for football.

And I'm equally sick of people saying: "Ralph should just shut up and get tough!" The NFL is a very competitive league already and the Bills work just as hard as any other NFL organization. The biggest difference between teams is simple geography. Teams in growth markets with large population centers generate more revenue by default. The NFL claims to be based on tradition and above just making money. If that's the case, then Ralph has a legitimate claim and has the right to stand up for what he believes in. After all, he played a big part in building the revenue juggernaut that the so-called New Guard owners are riding on. If it's all about "getting tough" and generating revenue, then the people who are complaining about Ralph's "whining" will have lots more to complain about, because teams like Buffalo, Cincinnatti, Kansas City and even Indianapolis are going to disappear. Then we'll all get to enjoy posting about the big deal the Los Angeles Bills just made with Nike. Give me a break.

From what I've read about the situation in Atlanta, Michael Vick (I prefer Ron Mexico) and his ability to run a pro offense is not to be questioned. So apparently, rather than looking at the entire offense (including the QB), the coaching staff chose to put the blame entirely on the wideouts. Peerless has always had an attitude, so he reacted in somewhat of a punk fashion. That guaranteed him a trip out. I don't think Peerless is a number one receiver, but as a number two with speed, he can cause some damage. Let's hope marv can get his head back on straight. If it works out, there will be two very fast wideouts on the corners, which would draw saftey help and leave the middle open. That's a big "if" since a QB capable of getting the ball to them is necessary.

I think most of the people who follow the NFL (ESPN, etc.) are all looking pretty stupid right now. The old age jokes about Ralph during the owners meetings were getting offensive. Now that the dust has settled and they're beginning to see how this agreement will affect everyone, you don't hear a peep about how "old and senile" Ralph is. I think the NFL will try to keep the team in Buffalo, because they rely heavily on tradition in terms of how they market the sport. I live about an hour away from Cleveland here in Youngstown, and the fallout from Modell moving the Browns to Baltimore was huge. There were many local and regional businesses here that became very vindictive against the NFL, and of course the fans were beserk. I think (hope) the league learned something from that.

First round draft piciks are a huge gamble, and the bust rate is high. However, there is some validity to starting the guy this year if it's a rebuilding year. Either way, they're rolling the dice, because to start over is equally risky. If Nall doesn't pan out, it's Holcomb and maybe another vetran from the scrap heap. Not an appealing prospect....

He's just coming off a three ligament tear in his knee. That's the same injury that Willis had. He's still in rehab and might be ready for camp. Daunte's an upgrade, but he's not the player he used to be. Miami will be improved, but their defense is ageing and they're beatable. I wouldn't pencil them in at the top of the division just yet.

Like it or not, this league is part sport/part business. Right now it's in the Bills' best financial interests to play the waiting game. Lots of stuff gets said in the papers, but when it comes down to it, if the Bills offer Eric a deal that's acceptable, all will be forgotten. If not, he'll be with another team. But I'd bet not for his current contract amount, especially if he wants to go to a team with a shot at the Superbowl. As far as the question of fairness.........it all depends on who's talking.

I think the combine is nothing more than a place for coaches and scouts to network and gossip, while keeping meticulous records of activities that don't have much to do with football. They're really nothing more that statistical justifications for the owners, who are going to be ponying up large $$ and want some kind of "proof" that drafting them will pan out. As far as Ngata......put him in an NFL weightroom for a season and he'll get a lot stronger. Plus, he'll be weight training for the one activity that matters...football.

Did you ever read the book called "Friday Night Lights?" It's a story about Texas high school football. The fans put "for sale" signs on the lawns of the coaches when they lost a game to a big rival. And that's in high school. People who do that over a game need some real help.

I kissed a girl once. Must've been a mistake.....I ended up marrying her. Next thing I know she's showing me her "thing". Then her belly started getting big and she had to go to the hospital. She came back with a baby! I wonder what happened.

OK, buh bye now......

I found it interesting that Parcells was not there for the press conference introducing T.O. According to profootballtalk (take it for what it's worth), Parcells has made no comment at all about this signing. You would think that for this big of a splash, Parcells would have at least made a statement. So far, nothing. Doesn't sound like approval of the deal. Maybe the two Egos are finally going to clash? Sounds like a Jimmy Johnson/Jerry Jones catfight all over again to me. Rumors also say that nobody on the Cowboys is looking forward to having this turd in the locker room. He might be a great player, but this is still a team sport and I'm betting maybe one good year from the guy and it'll be back to his usual embarassing crap in front of the cameras. Wouldn't suprise me if Parcells quits over it, if it's true he doesn't approve of having this jack off in his locker room.

From the Buffalo news - "Buffalo Bills-logo clothing has shown up in some of Western New York's finer drinking establishments, as well as in football stadiums throughout this country. But this may be the first time a big celebrity wore a Bills jacket, to a movie premiere, in Poland. This Associated Press photo was taken March 2, at the Polish premiere of Jon Voight's new film, "John Paul II," which stars Voight as the late pope. See the Bills logo in lower right-hand corner of this photo? We wondered how and why the "Midnight Cowboy" star came to be wearing the logo of our hometown team. It's because of "Second String," the made-for-cable movie about a bunch of backup players who take the Buffalo Bills on a run to their first Super Bowl. Voight played the team's tough-hearted coach. After the movie wrapped up filming in 2000, Voight bought up a bunch of Bills jackets, his manager, Dorothy Koster, said. "He wears it, and his whole family wears the jackets," she told Off Main. What's next? Will Voight's daughter, Angelina Jolie, join the Buffalo Jills?" Just imagine gentlemen: Angelina with nothing but a Bills Jacket on, standing in front of you, with expectation in her eyes......

Interesting. I don't get many Bills games here in Youngstown, but I did get the Raiders game last year. He had some serious problems in that game, but everything I've read about the guy seems to indicate that he has a strong upside. Lack of experience seems to be his biggest problem, especially when it comes to tackling in the backfield, where it's critical to take the proper angle on a receiver or back.

My two cents (most people would say 1/2 cent) is that free agency has changed everything about the NFL. I've also noticed that people who are very negative on this board also have very short memories: In one year, the Rams went from 4-12 to 12-4. They also picked up a "nobody" free agent from the Arena League by the name of Kurt Warner prior to their 12-4 season. NOBODY, not one sports reporter, not one NFL observer, thought the Rams were going to do anything. The Colts went from 3-13 to 13-3 in one year. These are just two examples. Am I saying the Bills will do the same? Absolutely not. We'll be lucky if they make the playoffs. They have too many holes to fill and even if they had gone out and signed all of the big name free agents, it still wouldn't have mattered. And not all big name free agents make a difference. Remember when some reporters were picking the Raiders as their "dark horse" candidate for the Superbowl last year? Just because they signed Randy Moss. Free agency has also changed the one factor that can make all the difference: Team chemistry. All you need are a few key injuries in your division (hate to say it but it's true) and some late season team chemistry and the playoffs are a possibility.

Nobody heard of Kurt Warner when the Rams signed him, either.

Just because they're names we recognize doesn't mean they're a playoff team yet. I live about an hour away from Cleveland, so we get a lot of coverage here. The signings have genereated a lot of chatter, but no knowledgable Browns fan is planning for the playoffs.

Maybe they were stupid for letting him go....or maybe not. It's all going to depend on that shoulder, and Brees really won't know how it's going to hold up until they start playing for real in the regular season. Remember, Chad Pennington's shoulder problems started out as "It's just a little sore".

They may have been good prospects, but their cap numbers were quite high, and I think that the Bills have a lot less to spend than has been reported. Some sources said 12 milion, some said 2 million. Actually, has it ever been really confirmed as to how much was available? I think it's a lot less then 12 million, only from the standpoint that this team was beginning to age pretty quickly given Donahoe's penchant for making a "splash" in free agency.