MDH

I love the new uniforms but personally I much prefer the blue pants with the white jerseys - the all white (or all blue for home) just doesn't look as sharp. That being said, it still looks much better than the USFL jerseys they got rid of.

For 11 years we've seen these posts saying the same thing, "OH NO, The sky if falling!", "all you chicken littles!", or, my favorite, "we're dooooooooooooooommmmed". Yet all these years later the chicken littles have been proven to be correct and all of you guys making fun of them have been proven to be wrong time and time again. You guys always use the same arguments too. "this isn't the same coach, front office, GM, QB, team, etc." Yet the result - 11 years running - is the same. For all the flak Ralph gets the guy is a genius in keeping the fan base hopeful. All he has to do is keep getting rid of coaches and GMs and you'll have a large number of fans saying, "it's not this GM/Coaches fault, give him 3-4 years!" After 3-4 years we get to rinse and repeat with those same posters making the same statements. In 2020 we'll be 20 years into rebuilding but since we're likely to have just hired a new coach you guys will be mockingly saying, "we're DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED" when someone is unhappy with the losing culture and you'll be pleading with them to give the new GM 3-4 years because "this is the 1st year of rebuilding"

I'm sure Fitz appreciates this trade. It's his make or break year for his career and he just lost one of his biggest weapons. You guys can go on and on about "rebuilding" (year 11) but as a coach or front office guy how can you look the players in the eyes and tell them that the organization is doing everything they can to help them win? I can't figure out why the Bills have a hard time attracting free agents. If it wasn't for the fans/game day environment the organization has nothing to bring to the table to prospective players.

Believe what crap? That the Bills will win somewhere around 5 games this year? I'd say that's pretty accurate - they'll win 4-6 games. How on earth anybody could think differently I have no idea. Hopefully I'm wrong and they'll surprise the hell out of people and make the playoffs but I have to see it to believe it. A large portion of posters here were criticizing the "experts" last year in the pre-season saying they didn't know anything. Yet at the end of the season those uninformed "experts" ended up knowing a lot more than those posters - just like they have for a decade. After a decade of futility I'm not getting my hopes up until they prove it on the field. I'll order Sunday ticket, root for them every week (likely getting angry more often than jubilant) yet If I had to pick which one was more likely: Bills make the playoffs or Bills have the first pick in the draft I'd go with the latter.

Seinfeld episode with John Lovitz might be what you're thinking of - it's the first thing I thought of.

Pretty sure JP isn't under contract anymore either - they just have Whitehurst. So Seattle wins worst backup since they don't have one...

It's still the same pattern the Bills have followed for years. Sure they need to draft more DBs because they keep letting the ones they draft go after their first contracts are up. Whether its because those players didn't live up to expectations (like Whitner) or because the Bills don't want to pay them what the open market does (Winfield, Clements) is irrelevant - it's a treadmill and one the Bills never seem to get off of. The Bills CREATE the need by bad drafting and an inability to re-sign players when they actually perform. Personally, I'm tired of the RB and DB treadmill and wish they'd get off it so they can use the draft to fill in other areas instead of refilling the same ones time and time again. Now, that being said I don't think this draft was a bad one - I like most of what they did and the Bills D should be better as a result. And this one year I'm going to give the Bills a pass because of the labor dispute prevented the Bills from filling these needs via FA and perhaps re-signing some of their own players which would have prevented them from using 4 more draft picks on DBs and RBs. It's tough to really look at this draft in terms of what holes the Bills ignored because FA hasn't occurred yet and we don't know their FA plans. Their drafting pattern, however, still looks eerily similar to past years.

Once you get to picks 60+ everybody's boards start diverging so much its impossible to know who would be there a round from now. If you like a guy take him - they liked him. But hey, I guess they should listen to a guy who's read lots of mocks and obviously knows more than they do... If you liked the position why not wait until you see the kid actually play instead of just reading about his 40 time?

Because the guys reporting on the draft like "stories." All the talk today about the 1st round is about the trade, or NO moving up for two #1s or Jax moving up and taking a guy the media thinks "fell." Buffalo grabbing who everybody thought they would doesn't excite sports reporters, even if it was a fantastic pick and the Bills got perhaps the best player in the draft who just happens to fill their biggest need. This is the first time in forever where I'm pleased with what the Bills did in the 1st round, I'm not going to let some sports reporters who are more interested in excitement than in solid drafting ruin my day.

We just drafted Reggie light last year. Do we really need another 3rd down scat back?

The ability of getting an immediate upgrade at LB, TE or OL. Taking him there means the team doesn't get stronger at positions of need where there are very good guys still on the board. I might have been on board with Mallet at this spot before the missed meeting with the Panthers fiasco. He knew he was under major scrutiny and yet still pulls this stunt after partying the night before. That shows me he's not mature enough to trust at this point in his life. It reminds me of when I was 17 and I'd call in and quit my job (if I called at all) to go hang out with friends or go to a concert. I did this countless times - I wouldn't have trusted me back then with any real responsibility and I don't trust Mallet now. I might be reading the guy wrong, perhaps he's ready to mature and take on the responsibility of being an NFL QB - but I don't think he's worth the risk.

Mallet is an interesting option. I'm fairly certain that had he been drafted in the top 5 he'd have been the next Ryan Leaf. However, this experience could motivate him to stop being an idiot and making horrendous choices and start doing the work necessary to be great. We all know he has the tools. Dalton is another option if they want QB. He doesn't have the ceiling that Mallet has but he's a much safer pick. I don't think he'll be great but he's probably the safest QB in the draft, the one who doesn't have much of a chance of totally busting out. He'll be solid to very good - but nothing more. Personally, after a decade of botched picks I'd prefer the solid route over the shoot for the sky and miss with Mallet route if they choose to go with a QB. This is the same reason I don't want Bowers - too much risk associated with the guy. All that being said - I don't want a QB. I'm fine with Fitz this year. Give me Ayers or Rudolph. I was really hoping Carimi fell to us but he didn't and I'm not excited about the OT sitting there for us with the 34th pick though I guess I wouldn't mind Orlando Franklin in that spot. Bottom line is the Bills have so many needs and there are so many quality players left they can fill another gaping hole, which should make us all excited about this evening.

The knock on Wilson is that he plays soft. I've not seen him play and can't comment first hand about his skill-set but just reading the word "finesse" and "not physical" makes me nervous about any player in the front 7. I'd rather have a guy like Ayers (who I've seen play a ton being a UCLA fan) who isn't the fastest guy on the field but is always around the ball and is physical.

Its not your thing, that's cool. But why hate on somebody who obviously enjoys it and isn't bothering anybody?

My draft dream would be Cam Jordan falling and the Bills nabbing him and having their DL solidified for years. So tired of being pushed around on D...

I love the pick (I think he was the best player in the draft) but come on - most of us could have made this pick and we know virtually nothing. I need to see some winning seasons before I start giving him that kind of praise.

Guy moves like a 320lb gazel. So swift, can change directions and uses his hands well to keep OL from latching on. As long as he has the dedication he'll be great. He's the guy I've wanted all along (though I do like Miller too) - trying not to get my hopes up...

The Colts have success because they have Peyton Manning. When you have a franchise QB - one of the all time greats - your teams tends to be successful. Successful teams have the luxury of being able to not draft for need because they're retooling, not rebuilding. The only such luxury the Bills have is that they have so many holes just about all of the top players fill a need. And no, I'm not saying that you draft a guy way too high simply because he's a need. I'm saying that you don't draft guys because they're the BPA when they project to a position that you're already solid at when there are a dozen other holes on your team.

You go BPA but it's not regardless of position. I'd roll my eyes the Bills if they took a RB just because he was the BP on their board at the time (much like I did last year with the Spiller pick.) You take the best guy available with a few exceptions (The Bills don't need a RB, G, K or a P at that spot even if they rate as the BPA - everything else is a go)

Well that's perfect then seeing as the Bills have the personnel to run a 4-3 and not the 3-4.

If I'm spending a top 5 pick on a QB - or any first rounder for that matter - I at least expect him to know the basic: Like knowing how to do a proper 3,5 & 7 step drop. Dropping back like Newton does - with no discipline - then looking to take off the moment he thinks he sees a hole has proven time and time again to not work in the NFL. Even successful mobile QBs understand proper footwork and I've not seen many QBs who didn't have this basic fundamental down by the end of college who found success in the NFL. It shows a lack of work ethic to perfect his craft and that will translate to failure in the NFL. To me this is akin to a RB who is successful in college because he's more athletic than everybody else and hits the edge time and time again - like say, Reggie Bush. Sure it works in college but once you play with the big boys its a different story. Add to it that Newton doesn't play in a pro style offense and his learning curve is even higher. He doesn't have basic fundamentals AND he isn't very familiar with the pro set. He's a project who will take years to bear fruit - if he bears fruit at all which I doubt given the fact that he's going to be forced into the lineup before he's ready (due to his name) and when he fails he'll be thrown to the scrap heap. The guy has all the signs of being a bust but that won't stop someone from drafting him in the 1st round.

I agree on the Fitzpatrick front, there's no need to take a QB in round 1 or 2. As for Whitner, if he wanted to be paid like a "solid" player he'll likely still be with the team. I'm guessing, however, he wants a pay increase from that of the top 10 draft pick money he got 4 years ago. That's a trap the Bills would be wise to avoid as "solid" safety play isn't that difficult to find and can be gotten for much cheaper than Whitner. Imo, the Bills need to be looking at the front 7 on D and at the T position on O. I disagree with you that the WR spot is a weak one - it's not spectacular but it's very solid once healthy.

You're wrong. The front 7 is abysmal and any one of those guys except for Williams could use a significant upgrade. Moats might turn into something down the road and Poz and Kelsey are serviceable - but not guys you build your team around. If you have a chance to grab a special player you take him, the only guy in the front 7 who has earned his spot for next year is Williams as far as I'm concerned.

Lee has to pitch 200+ innings in year 5 of the deal or 400+ innings in years 4 and 5 combined for the optional 6th year to kick in. That will be a tall order for a 37 year old pitcher.

Yeah, the odds of him "acting alone" and organizing the players on the sideline by himself is ludicrous. Based on the Steve Tasker quotes this type of stuff happens all the time in football you just don't have a guy blatantly putting his knee out there.