Koufax

And I wanted Ngata. And nobody wanted Kyle Williams in the first four rounds. Imperfect science even though I think at time TBD would have outperformed Jauron & co. All that matters is if he can be a top 53 Buffalo Bill this year. I have some doubts that he will be, but he still has a chance.

According to Atlanta radio 790, nothing official according to Falcons sources and the longer it takes the more it looks like hometown team might keep him.

Not at all. We are waiting for the Falcons to match because at same dollars he stays. So out of Bills and Clabo's hands, and he is not going to sign until he gives Atlanta a last chance to match whatever it is. I think this probably isn't going to be decided in the next hour or two, and might have to wait some more.

So now we are waiting to see if Atlanta will match Buffalo's offer. We all know that at same dollars he stays a Falcon, so it is exclusively up to the Atlanta front office to decide if they match or not, and not just Clabo making a decision or the Bills making a decision. The twitter-verse doesn't seem to have any hint or clue on what the Falcons are actually doing or how long it might take them to decide. So I think this is on hold until we get some real news coming, and there won't be anything else from the rumor side of things unless Clabo signs up for Twitter himself really soon.

Agreed. And they would HAVE to overpay to get him, because he would not come to Buffalo for the same money he could get to stay in Atlanta, that is just the reality of it. So hopefully they don't match our offer and it happens, and we aren't just a bargaining chip with them.

This and Hayensworth deal both make the Patriots a better team this year, but I don't think either is tremendously relevant to the Bills chances of upsetting the Pats this year (we will rightly be underdogs in both games), or of a miracle 10-6 return to the playoffs. It does make the Pats a little older, and a little more salary-cap constrained over the next couple years.

I'm a Jasper fan and think he will be successful. Now I don't think it will be quite like when Kyle outperformed McCargo despite being picked four rounds later, and I think Dareus is our guy. But given that he was coming out of NAIA at 450lbs switching positions, there is no way this guy would be a higher round pick, even if he has all the talent to be a great football player. So the groundwork is there for him to be a very successful 7th round pick, and we know that between 6th and 7th rounders and UDFA there are very often impact players. Now add the things he has going for him: 1) not a finesse position, 2) Super hard worker from the videos we have seen and the 75lbs he has lost working hard, 3) Some immense physical talent including the NT talent of just being really big, 4) a nice, well spoken, level headed kid. Sounds to me like a winning combination. And people talk about D-Line depth and numbers, but injuries happen. I see this kid getting a chance and making some plays, and being a fan favorite for a number of years even if he is rotating off the bench.

Darn it! We only have two receivers on our roster and they will both be locked down. If only we could sign a third or fourth receiver or a tight end in free agency or find ourselves a back who can catch passes and move in space. Unfortunately none of that is possible, and Chan doesn't know anything about creative offense, so we are doomed. Perhaps we can get a safety and find a way to win 2-0, because obviously we can't score if they have Revis AND Nnamdi.

Can you explain the splash? You say you mean literally a big splash. Did you mean literally only for the big part and the splash part continues to be used figuratively in the way that an significant news is referred to as a splash. Or is there some water based offensive line training I am not aware of? And if you haven't seen David Cross rant on the misuse of the word literally it is worth checking out. Back to football, I am definitely interested in Clabo, but don't see his motivation to come to Buffalo if it isn't for a lot more dollars than Atlanta is offering. What is their cap situation, and could we outbid them without going crazy?

The lesson is that they won the following year, and it was more enjoyable than any of the Yankees 27 championships. As a Bills and Red Sox fan, it was a pretty wonderful moment, and made all the waiting worth it. What is important is that the Bills act like the Red Sox and not the Cubs where losing is okay. Nobody cares about Bill Buckner anymore. Hopefully we can get Scott Norwood off the hook in the next few years.

I agree with the general concept. I wanted to keep him, but probably not worth what he got. But it depends on what we do with that $7M instead. If it is spent wisely on a very deep free agent market, then I don't think Poz is a loss. If it is used to tack a couple more years on to Kelsey, or to be put back in Ralph's pocket, then it would have been nice to have Poz instead.

Poz left for a 4-3, not for lack of cash on the table. And I would like it if nobody talks about Andrew Luck for a little while please. I don't think he is going to fall to the #32 pick, but we can keep our hopes up. I liked Poz like I liked London Fletcher, two good guys who give it their all at ILB, and for a variety of reasons never seemed to make a big play or change a game despite being good players. He wasn't a great fit for the 3-4 and is replaceable in that role. Anybody who is going to take the under on a 4-12 repeat should stay away from Vegas. A lot remains to be seen, but this team has all objective signs pointing to improvement: another year in new defensive scheme that was a big adjustment, no QB controversy, a solidifying young line, not a lot of downside of their career players, a rookie stud in the middle, and a team that finished 4-4 after adjusting to new schemes and a new QB.

His ratio of health to play. I've followed every detail of his soap opera here in San Diego, and the injuries he has dealt with make his performance to be expected. If you have medical reasons to think that he can't get healthy at all despite being 27 years old with only 60 games of wear and tear in his career, then you would be right that the 2.5 million gamble won't pay off. But I would be happy to sign him at double that based on my understanding of his play and his injuries. Maybe he is a Bob Sanders and will always break down, or maybe he had a rough patch of a couple injuries, and will get healthy and be healthy over the next few years. I love our return on investment even if he has a 50/50 chance of being healthy. And to respond to your question. What in Merriman's performance when healthy gives you pessimism? The gamble is not on the ability or the steroids or anything else. It is just what you think the chances are he will be healthy this year, and I think just about as good as any of our other linebackers, and am happy to have him, because healthy his is the best LB we have. And if healthy and playing behind Dareus/Williams/Carrington, I think he will tackle some opponents and do his silly little dance.

I agree with Lee's importance, but I disagree with Roscoe not being fast. Size is his limiting factor more than speed and he is a small target far down the field. He can't make up for the margin of error downfield with long arms or a big reach. the same reason that Moss has been so deadly deep is where his game is weaker. Running to a spot on the field I think he can do just fine, but when he gets there he is still just five feet nothing, a hundred and nothing, and that makes a difference as you get further from the LOS and throws are less precise.

No, the team would simply not exercise the unilateral right to have the player under contract for the 5th year, and let the player be a free agent, at which point they could sign him for whatever is reasonable if the two sides agree. Mike Williams would be gone, but 5th year Donte would probably have signed for a couple million under this scenario.

Our running game was going to improve without any contributions from Dareus or Merriman just by the natural progression learning the 3-4, finding better splits in the hybrid 4-3, the mind of Wann-stache and players like Troup and Carrington developing. Add in Dareus, Merriman (don't underestimate his potential impact), and maybe a surprise snap or two from Mt. Jasper, and I the run D is not going to be our focus or weakspot this year.

I don't see how .5% for a stadium is better than playing in the Ralph and keeping taxes where they are or maybe devoting that $300 million to education or hospitals? The Bills just need to play good football and sell out games. I don't make it to the Ralph very often from San Diego, but besides the voodoo economics and luxury box mumbo jumbo, why is another place going to be hundreds of millions of dollars better than this? Anybody who has deep enough pockets to buy the team from Ralph's estate isn't going to make a huge difference for added revenue of the stadium vs. debt service (if only partially funded by the public). I feel pretty strongly that 1-2 preseason games, 8-9 regular season games, and good lord willing, two playoff games, those 10-12 days a year can be just fine in Orchard park if the team wins and fans show up. And if the bottom line is all that matters, this team is headed for LA in a minute anyway. I'm hoping Ralph sells to a local group who like it where it is, and realize that good football players and not luxury boxes are what will turn this franchise around.

I don't think you are saying what you think you are saying. Don't need 3-13 to get a franchise QB. Forget about 6th round Brady, but 2nd Round Brees, #24 Rodgers, #11 Rothlisberger, all say hello to #1 Jamarcus Russell, #3 Vince Young, etc. Following up 4-12 without significant strides forward will really affect the culture of this team, and reflect badly on the organization and coaching staff. We went 0-8 with a QB change, adapting to a new system, getting two key linemen back to full strength after major injuries, etc. After that we went 4-4, and could have been better. For that team to have an established QB now, a bunch of young guys maturing, and an impact Dareus (and potentially Merriman returning to form) it is really hard to think of this team doing worse than last year. So rooting for 3-13 while your team wins is more depressing than hoping for 3-13 in the first place. This team will be better than people expect, and and will enjoy calculating playoff scenarios in December even if we come up short. We have no chance whatsoever at the #1 pick, so rooting for it becomes even more pathetic. Go Bills

Yeah, but I don't think he falls to #32 unless there is some sort of medical issue like Bowers went through.

Beating a dead horse, but to me he doesn't belong on the list as he has been a pretty good football player, and while you want more at #8, we have some out of the league busts in the top two rounds which can round out the top 5. Also, "We had other needs" and "Picking a safety that high" don't have anything to do with it. The only reason this was not a good pick is that there were better football players available, and one we all had circled on our draft board turned into a superstar in Baltimore.

Last time we took a 1st round DT he somewhat underperformed a late round DT named Kyle Williams. So we don't always take the right DT first. Of course I am just kidding and Dareus is our game changer. But given our history with late round pick success, I will be keeping an eye on Jasper's development and rooting for the underdog too. If there are any football instincts at all, I would love to see what this kid could do at 350.

Yeah, this is more a look at the top prospects with an uninformed writer picking an easy target punching bag. But let me rattle off some observations: 1) A team that had a 4-4 second half after a half season struggle with a new system and QB change in the first half. Often second half success is a predictor of the following season. 2) A team that drafted players at positions where year 1 contributions are usually pretty easy (although we said that about Spiller), and doesn't seem poised to lose too much talent. 3) Disarray Cincinnati who we crushed last year will lose their former #1 pick QB and top two receivers. They add a very good WR, but that is the hardest position for a year 1 contribution (Calvin Johnson had 4 TDs and 750 yards as a rookie, Larry Fitzgerald didn't break 800 yards either). Being thrown to by a second round rookie QB who has a bright future but even his supporters expect a tough transition to the pro defense. How are we picking ahead of the Bengals even in the way too soon fluff national media coverage? 4) Nobody knows what the schedule looks like until it is played. Way too much turnover in the league, and finding wins and losses now on it based on what those teams used to be is silly. A couple years ago we beat a supposed super bowl contender Seattle (who would be a top 5 pick) opening week and when our confidence was up and rolled into doormat Arizona at 4-0 and got crushed (by an eventual Super Bowl team). So looking at a schedule in May and thinking we have any idea how those opponents will actually be, much less the results in one game is nearly impossible. 5) I think Luck will go #1, but I remember the "Brady Quinn sweepstakes" and Claussen supposed to be going #1, so there is even room for that to change. All that said, I like going in to the season without respect, and hope some of our players keep quiet and play with a chip on their shoulder. Go Bills!

I think I would rather have Dareus and Williams than Gabbert and Austin. I was interested in the 2nd round QBs and especially Mallett in the third round, but I think I like Buddy's draft more than what I would have done. I would have loved to draft a QB, because that would have meant it had Chan's seal of approval, but I think that in hindsight, if Chan didn't want Mallett in the third then I think he probably has a reason not to like him. Adding an early round QB there is the expectation that he will be better than Fitz in the next year or two, and if Chan didn't think that about the guys available then I am fine with Fitz and waiting a year or two for the right guy. But absolutely positively, I would rather have Dareus and Fitz on the team than Gabbert and Fitz (with one of them on the bench). I think once the Peterson and Green hype dies down a little people will realize we got the best player in the whole draft.

Just for fun, let's weigh in on who you would have taken at each pick knowing who was off the board. So for each pick you can take anybody from the player we picked through our next pick. I really like Buddy's draft, so I am not up in arms complaining. As Cannon and Mallett sit on the New England bench for different reasons, I think we will like our actual draft better than mine. But now is the time to state who you wanted at each pick for the historical record (For example, I wanted Ngata over Whitner, but I wanted Lynch over Revis and would have wasted a 2nd on Claussen). R1 #3 (Dareus DT) My pick: SAME R2 #34 (Williams CB) My Pick: Akeem Ayers LB R3 #68 (Sheppard LB) My Pick: Ryan Mallett QB R4 #100 (Searcy DB) My Pick: Luke Stocker TE R4 #122 (Hairston OT) My Pick: House Daven DB R5 #133 (J. White RB) My Pick: Marcus Cannon OT R6 #169 (C. White LB) My Pick: Quan Sturdivant LB R7 #206 (Rogers DB) My Pick: SAME (what do I know in the 7th) R7 #245 (Jasper DT) My Pick: SAME (what do I know in the 7th)

Unless we are taking a flyer on Cannon and don't have medical concerns (we wish him well for non-football reasons, and John Lester pitched the clinching game of the world series a year after he was diagnosed), I don't see any lineman who I think is going to have any chance of starting for us and being better than Wang or a free agent RT. I like Stocker, but mostly these are the rounds that I trust Buddy to find good football players who can contribute, and I don't think any 4th rounder should be focused on needs because they rarely are able to make big contributions their first year anyway. So I will look for my RT on the free agent market and would like to see good football players at any position tomorrow to add depth and a little bit of talent to our roster.