Albany,n.y.

He's also a lot more in Syracuse & Rochester than he is in the entire USA, since 32 teams all passed on him in the draft

What they see with the Rams & Bucs are 1st round QBs with the potential to lift their teams higher than the Bills QBs. I think the media sees the rookie & sophomore QBs as having a lot more upside than our bunch. The irony here is there are a lot of posters calling for Ryan Fitzpatrick to get cut, yet the Bills only won 1 game of those 6 wins where Fitzpatrick wasn't the main guy at QB. If the Bills start Fitzpatrick or if Edwards returns to being the guy who was 5-0 at the start of the 2008 season (JP was the main QB for the 1 in 5-1) this team won't be the worst team. The big problem is that all the moves Nix & Gailey made in the offseason scream 2-3 year rebuild, and you usually take a step back in rebuild mode before taking 2 steps forward. I view this season as very similar to 2001, where the team was torn apart to rebuild by Donahoe & Gregg Williams and went from 8-8 to 3-13. Like 2001, the new coach & GM know this year is basically a free ride. Realistically, it's tough to find too many teams that, with our LT & QB situation, are going to have as tough a time as we will, especially at the start of the season with a totally new defense.

Brohm!

We already have "The Legacy" Jon Corto on the roster & signed Roosevelt. This isn't the 1st year of the AFL when the Bills might have wanted to bring in guys the local fans "have heard of".

My guess is that maybe that scout wanted Leaf & was twisting things a little bit to justify his position. Here's what I remember on how it went. SD had traded for the 2nd pick on March 12th, knowing they'd get 1 of the 2 QBs. Leaf wanted SD, not Indy & was blowing Indy off when they wanted to bring him up to Indianapolis to further check him out before the draft. Manning was much more cooperative. Leading up to the final days of the draft, and definitely the morning of the draft, all the insiders like Mort and whoever else was out there were reporting that Manning was Indy's pick, not Leaf & Leaf was glad to be going to SD. Now if the scout is your brother or someone close to you, maybe the insiders were wrong, but if he's just another guy you talked with, I'd doubt he told you the real story.

As previously stated Manning went 1st. Also, his 1st game was in SD, not RWS, I know because I watched it on TV & in those years I never missed a home game. That draft was not the crapshoot everyone with revisionist leanings makes it out to be. Manning was a senior, staying an extra year at Tennessee when he would have been #1 the prior draft. He was rock solid on & off the field & was one of the surest picks to come along. Leaf was a 1 year wonder, with size & arm strength that dazzled some scouts, but a guy who came to the combine overweight & with an attitude. Anyone who truly remembers that year knows that red flags were waiving on Leaf the moment he pulled that combine nonsense. On top of that, Leaf came out early, which back then non-senior QBs entering the draft mostly busted or greatly underachieved. SD got taken, just like Oakland did 3 years ago with Russell. The funniest story I heard about Leaf was in an interview on the radio that ESPN did one morning this April. One of the guys who was with SD told the story of when SD started to question Leaf's commitment to the organization. After the draft, SD asked Leaf to come to SD to meet with them & the media. Leaf told them he had a buddy's bachelor party in Las Vegas & they would have to wait for him to finish up in Las Vegas 1st. So looking at busts & hits without examining the stories behind each case does not accurately reflect who to avoid & who to draft-something we all hope Nix has enough experience in doing to avoid taking the Leafs & Russells. Based on the high premium Nix places on character & talent combined, I'm not worried about him choosing a Leaf or Russell like SD & Oak foolishly did in spite of work ethic problems that both clearly displayed before the draft.

I just downloaded the latest On-line edition of PFW & couldn't find a link to this on thir site. The biggest surprise is they rank the Super Bowl champs #10 & Green Bay #1. Here are the rankings GB Ind SD Min Balt NYJ NE Dal Atl NO Hou NYG Mia Chi SF Wash Phil Pit Cin Ten Ariz Car Den Jacks Sea Det KC Oak Cle Stl TB Bills

Now I know KC had a horrible defense in 2008, but for all the praise of Thigpen & Gailey for 2008, they only won 2 games the whole year. It's still about winning & not about acceptable statistics.

I think the reason is what some fans view as opportunity cost. Denver picked Eddie Royal with the next pick after the Bills took Hardy & Philadelphia took DeSean Jackson later in that round. Both players are a lot higher profile than Hardy at this point in their careers. Now the irony is that it looks like the Bills blew it in the 7th round as well. A few picks after the Bills picked Johnson, the Oakland Raiders picked Chaz Schilens, who outside of a preseason injury that caused him to miss the 1st half of the 2010 season, has been starting for the Raiders since the middle of his rookie year and has totally outplayed Johnson. By the way, he's 6-4 & has totally outplayed Hardy too.

Based on Marshawn's latest antics-staying away from the Bills this past week, I think his trade value has been reduced to a conditional pick based on performance. His market is most likely a conditional 4th, topping off at a 3rd, and if he's a total waste, it could become a 5th. Just remember, he's already been suspended once, Goodell will come down on him pretty hard the next time, and right now, it looks like he still doesn't get it & is still living day to day without thinking about his career down the road. If he truly had an interest he'd be in Buffalo learning the playbook. Instead, all he's doing is trying to force his way out of here, showing the league minimum of cooperation. That alone shows how little he cares. Of course, the team is moving on without him, but his trade value decreased this week because other teams realize his worth to the Bills is diminished.

Wanting to see my team win a Super Bowl is the best reason I can come up with. If you give me a choice of 2-14 this year, 6-10 next year and a Super Bowl championship in the 2012 season versus 8-8 this year, then 10-6 the next 2 years with an early exit in the playoffs each time, I'll gladly suffer 2-14 this year and miss the playoffs next year. The difference is I'd rather have the big reward later than a handful of small rewards now. This is not the same group as last year. We are missing key veteran contributors such as Owens & Reed in the receiving corps, Schobel (if he retires), our best ST player in Wendling, Denney gone & Kelsay changing positions. Yes we have virtually the same offensive line & dreadful group of QBs, but that is hardly something to form an optimistic view of.

We weren't that much different when we traded a 3rd for Billy Joe Hobert & had to release him after week 7.

Go back to 2001 & there were tons of posts similar to your's saying how bad things were under Wade & that Gregg was instilling discipline. This team is strikingly similar to that 2001 team: New GM , new coach. There's a new D system which will take time to develop, a lot of the team has been gutted in the move to youth & rebuilding, the QB position is the same as 2001: Edwards is the same as Johnson-an injury prone guy who has shown flashes, but loses more often than he wins and is odds on to finish the season & his Bills career on IR; Fitzpatrick is the same as Van Pelt-at best a career back up with some smarts who has survived, but hardly thrived when thrust into the starting job; Brohm is the same as Brown-a guy rejected by another team who the Bills picked up because they think he can be developed. The slight differences between Brohm & Brown are that Brown went to a different practice squad than the team that cut him and was picked up in August after signing with his own team's 53 man roster the prior November, and Brohm was originally picked higher. Tim Hasselbeck & David Dinkins filled the Levi Brown spot in 2001, with Hasselbeck cut before camp & Dinkins ending up on the practice squad, resulting in the signing of Travis Brown. The following year the Bills made the big splash for Bledsoe, knowing they had nothing at QB, next year the Bills will draft a QB in the 1st round, knowing they have nothing at QB.

You're about 2 years off. The most likely scenario: Edwards gets hurt and Brohm comes in and pulls a Gary Marangi, which demoralizes our D which gets us 13 losses. However there is a silver lining to this cloud, the Bills get their franchise QB in the 2011 draft, he struggles a bit, just like Peyton Manning did as a rookie, then in 2012 when nobody is expecting it, our franchise QB pulls a Peyton Manning and our D (led by 15 picks from Byrd) gets us 13 wins. We go on to win the Feb 2013 Super Bowl & then repeat against some dome team in the cold Meadowlands Super Bowl in 2014. After his 3rd season, they're already talking HOF for our QB. Meanwhile back in the out of the NFL world Edwards is selling real estate and considering a run for congress and Brohm is coaching his high school football team.

I don't think Brian Brohm has anything to do with us ( & every other team) not drafting Clausen before he was picked. If a top notch prospect at QB was available the fact that Brian Brohm is on the roster wouldn't have meant anything to the Bills-they would have went QB.

You're not being harsh or rude, you're just contradicting most of your original premise. For example how does point 2 not contradict this? : Also, I think from a fan prospestive this year would be a lot more exciting with Clausen on the roster. Remember the TO signing...It was fun to have TO in the Buffalo limelight and have some media attention. Right now, all of us would be glued to the Clausen updates and hoping he is the one. Today, I read that Fitz took the snaps today and Edwards yesterday. BOY IS THAT EXCITING...Perhaps Clausen could have stepped right in and started for us. What do we have to loose? Heck, I believe this season is a bust anyway. Its a season of learnng, growing, and building for the future. Which hopefully leads to winning soon. This season isn't about winning despite what you hear from the front office. Objectively, look at the rosters and you have to conclude we don't have the players. PLAYERS win games not coaches...Coaches can aid in the winning process no doubt but they still need the personnel. Our personnel is subpar. In concluding, Clausen was a "low risk" at pick 41, an instant upgrade to our QB roster, and could have given many of fans a reason for some excitment this year. The conclusion of anyone thinking logically is that you would be expecting Clausen to be starting in 2010, otherwise how is his sitting on the bench going to generate any of the excitement you want to see from him? Point 1-You're inaccurate because you criticize the team for not drafting a player they have no interest in drafting, just to give you some "excitement". If their scouts say he's not the answer, why would you want the team to draft him? Point 3-I'm not assuming Clausen fails-just that he's not as good as a guy we can get with our top pick and drafting him would cause us to settle on Clausen & go a different position. All draft sources indicate there are 2-3 top notch QB prospects who will go very early in the 2011 draft. If our scouts, along with every other NFL team think these guys are head & shoulders over Clausen, by about 40 slots in the draft, why would I want to settle on Clausen this year knowing his selection precludes my team from getting a much better prospect next year?

Here's the 2 main reasons why picking Clausen would have been the wrong move. 1)The Bills did not see Clausen as a franchiseQB, maybe not even a starting QB. 2) When you "steal" a QB with a possible 1st or 2nd round tag, you can set your franchise back years even when he's not picked in the 1st round if you commit to him as the starter. All you need to answer your question why we didn't take Clausen is look at the last guy we "stole" -Trent Edwards, or the guy before him we "outfoxed" GB & Stl by trading up for, before one of them could take him -JP Losman. By calling for Clausen, the OP obviously doesn't want Trent Edwards-so I have to assume he'd agree that starting Edwards sets the franchise back & Edwards was a 3rd round "steal". Once you commit to a guy & he doesn't work out you set your franchise back years, steal or no steal. I'd rather wait the year & have the franchise set back only one more, than getting Clausen, having him end up another Trent or JP & set the franchise back 3-5 MORE years. Just remember, those 2 both had enough early success to keep the team from drafting another QB, imagine if we commited to Clausen after a promising 1st season, passed on a franchise QB in 2011 & then Clausen regressed after his 1st year as the starter-something common in Buffalo lately.

But if you win the ticket lottery & get a ticket at face, plus you can drive to the game, it becomes a lot more affordable. Winning the ticket lottery makes the game a lot more affordable. When the Bills played in Pasedena, Petrino won the ticket lottery, we got supersaver flights & we split everything in 1/2 & brought the entire weekend, including the game, in for around $750 each.

I don't know how old you are or where you live, but a lot of us have attended playoff games in January in Orchard Park & had no problem whatsoever paying playoff prices & bundling up. Some playoff games have been ice cold, some have been warm-40s in January, some have had snow, some rain. Did you know that the greatest comeback game had some windy, rainy moments & nobody who was there hated it?

I'm not trying to hope he fails, I'm just looking at the reality of the situation. I've been watching pro football for 45+ years & I've never seen a guy in the same position that Brian Brohm is in succeed. Not 1 in 45+ years! To sum up: a 1st or 2nd round pick jettisoned early in his career where his drafting team got nothing in return. Favre was traded for a 1st round pick-when GB waived Brohm in September, they couldn't even get a 7th, otherwise they would have traded him because if someone claimed him on waivers they were guaranteed of getting nothing. Thinking the Bills found the one player in a million is close to insane behavior (as defined by Einstein). There have been so many highly picked QBs who never made it even though there seemed to always be a team willing to give them another shot & defy the odds after they hit the waiver wire. Just look at the track record of the Guy who aquired Brohm. The odds of Brohm being anything other rthan a 3rd stringer are extremely long. I'm not hating on Brohm, I'm just trying to be more realistic than the dreamers around here. If I was going to hitch my wagon to a longshot QB on the roster, I'd go with Levi Brown, because I have seen late picks & free agent QBs make it as quality NFL starters, once again unlike the situation that made Brohm a Bill.

Name me just one 1st or 2nd round pick who was given away for nothing by his draft team as an unproven player who ever made it in another city. JUST ONE! When you find him, let me know because I don't think it has ever happened. Sure, high picks have been traded for 1st day picks & made it, but I don't recall any 1st or 2nd rounder ever being given away for no picks who has made it in another city.

How much longer do we have to hear this nonsense? They waived him in September,meaning none of the other 31 teams thought enough of him to offer a 7th rounder, which they would have gladly accepted instead of exposing him for nothing. If they, or the 31 other teams thought anything of him he wouldn't have been waived & then cleared waivers. Why is it so difficult for you Brohm-heads to realize that they only tried to keep him as in season insurance since they only carried 2 QBs on the 53 man roster & they would have rather had an insurance policy who knew the system that late in the season? If GB wanted him so badly they would have made him a monetary offer he could not have refused. BTW, if by some miracle he becomes the Bills starter, it will be short lived, because the 2011 starter isn't on this roster & anyone "winning" the 2010 job will be the biggest loser. Odds are a lot better he gets cut than ends up starting.

I'm in favor of it because it means if I want to go to the game I can drive down there the day of the game. Say the Bills are in it that year, it would even be drivable from Buffalo. I can't see why anyone who lives in the northeast would be against it, especially when it's drivable if your team makes it & you can get a ticket.

1st & 2nd round QBs are so scrutinized both before & after the draft that when they get cut early in their careers, you can write them off as busts. In other words, when they flame out, there's little chance that they had some potential & just flew under the radar. There were countless posts warning us how JP Losman was going to come back and haunt us, even when he was in the UFL. Thankfully, most of those have died down. Unfortunately they've been replaced with calls for a guy to start who we basically signed willy-nilly hoping he pans out-Brian Brohm. They talk of "Upside", but the track record of 1st & 2nd rounders who get waived early indicates he has no upside. It's easy for people to get the sarcasm about Russell, but some of the same people enjoying your sarcasm are the ones who totally dismiss Russell, but don't see the futility in thinking Brohm can be a quality starter.

I agree with some of your reasoning, but I can't buy the get Clausen in the 2nd or Campbell stuff. Why do I accept waiting for the QB in next year's draft? : The Bills had a real mess of a team by the end of last season. They can't fix it all in one offseason. They know this. They did not feel that Jimmy Clausen is going to be a franchise QB, they may not even think he can be a decent starting QB. They also don't think Campbell is much, otherwise they would have offered more than Oakland. So, if they get either one of these guys, they are commiting the team's future, especially by spending a 2nd on Clausen, on a guy they don't feel is a long term answer. If Clausen turns into another JP, they're screwed for another 4 years. Meanwhile by filling other spots & waiting until next year's QB rich draft, they are doing it the right way-something they haven't done in this decade of futility. That's the real problem. For the past decade the draft and free agency have been used to patch potholes, usually by over reacting, rather than wait for the right player a year later, or that reaction causing them to reach & miss out on a key player. The best example I can give is the 2007 draft. They trade McGahee, then reach for Lynch, passing on Revis. Then the next year, they fill the CB hole with McKelvin. If they had the approach of not filling a hole immediately & going for the bestplayer, they could have drafted Revis in 2007, and Chris Johnson in 2008. Same positions, just filled in different years. I don't think anyone on this board would rather have Lynch & McKelvin over Revis & Johnson.