Koufax

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.

ILB 40 time is not that useful, and not as important as football playing ability. I'm not saying he was the right pick (and I have been vocal on rolling the dice for Mallett so was not happy about the pick), but if he was right or wrong has little to do with his 40 time.

I don't think that we have a lot of huge upgrades to Bell at LT nor is he as bad as people think. I'm open to consideration if something throws itself at us, but elite LT free agents are not great value. I like our interior, although we could add some depth. What I think our biggest free agency priority should be is the best RT we can find. BTW, I heard the last guy on your list was okay, but that ship has sailed. I do think we can find a better free agent RT than find a late round year 1 starter. Free agent priorities (to be shaped by final picks tomorrow): 1) RT 2) Veteran backup QB better than Brohm 3) TE 4) LB & DB depth (depending on who we re-sign)

I am mad that we passed on him, and I think you take a chance with a third rounder on a guy with 1st round upside. BUT it is actually easier for us that he went to the Patriots. If he had gone to the Raiders and fulfilled his potential we would have been reminded of it a lot sooner. Tom Brady is 33 years old, and really enjoys playing football. If that passion is still there and he stays healthy, he can easily play four or five years. So Mallett could end up a free agent before he starts a game, and while he certainly is a valuable potential back in New England in case anything happens to Brady, the Steve Young path is rare, and I expect to see very little Mallett over the next five years, and that will help mask the disappointment of us passing on him for a pretty good LB.

At least with Mallett to the Patriots we won't know if it was a mistake to pass on him for a couple years. If he went to another team and started right away and succeeded it would be more frustrating. Sheppard should easily outperform him this year unless Brady gets hurt , so we can't really hate this pick for a few years until we have forgotten about it mostly. I will admit I kind of wanted Claussen in the second last year, so I will trust Buddy, and love the improvements to our front defense. I hope we can find a good RT somewhere and even if Fitz is our guy, we need a backup veteran now.

Sorry you didn't like him in the Sugar Bowl, but he was too good a talent to pass on in the third round to me. New England just took him, so I guess we will find out. I like us getting three straight good defensive guys, and these three players will help this team, but I don't think we got the BPA in round 3 like we did in round 1.

Where on Buddy's board is Mallett? I sure hope Sheppard is a great player, but I would have rolled the dice on a boom or bust in the third round since he could have a year to sit and learn. Whether he is Drew Bledsoe or Ryan Leaf, I think it would have been a smart pick. 3800 yards, 32 touchdowns and a 64% completion rating in the SEC with a rocket arm is worth the roll of the dice to me. Very disappointed here, but will see what happens.

Carolina doesn't pick him obviously, nor do the Bengals, so unless Elway loves him, he should be there. I know there are a lot of Ryan Leaf comparisons, but we are talking about the third round, and I would have taken Leaf in the third round too (and maybe without the pressure he would have even done okay). I know we will get a good role player by Buddy, but I will be very disappointed if we pass on Mallett.

I would like to see Mallett in the third. I don't know that he gets there, but I would like the pick if he does. He has to get through: San Diego Washington Pittsburgh Green Bay Carolina Cincinnati Denver (and an Oakland trade up) If Washington doesn't take him in a minute, I could see him there...

Nope, just after the first two rounds he probably roughly pulls things off his draft board independent of what teams are thinking or have already picked, and doesn't split hairs on the fifth round.

Best line: I always get nervous when the experts say a cornerback is “the total package, except for his one-on-one coverage ability.” What does that mean?

Very funny stuff. The only thing less useful than a 2010 draft grade right now is a 2011 draft grade. I know everyone is rightly disappointed in Spiller's 2010 season, but I think he is being thrown into the Maybin pile way too soon. Whether this was a good draft or not will be determined in a couple years, when Carrington and Troup and Easley and Moats could all be starting, and Spiller may have learned to pick up the blitz and hit the hole and be an impact player. Not saying that will happen or won't happen, but how good this class is depends on if it does happen or not, not on the 4-12 2010 team's performance.

+2 I tried CTRL-Z several times, but I still see the words in my head. There is no way Luck falls to #32, so I wish the Bengals success with him after they draft him #1 next year.