UpstateSwagger

Let's be realistic. If Crabtree falls to #11 we take him, no questions asked. At some point you have to draft football players and forget about ONE workout in Indianapolis. And just because you heard Mike Mayock's 30-second schpiel about Andre Smith doesn't make him Mike Williams. The guy was one of the most dominant players all year long. And because Mayock puts together a rant, he must suck all of a sudden? Give me a break.

I know there are some DHB lovers on this board, but in my opinion we've filled our need for a bigger receiver with the addition of James Hardy and Steve Johnson. I would love for us to give these guys a look at #11 if Raji, and whomever our #1 pass rusher, are off the board. I really hope we don't reach with this pick and if we target one of these two playmakers (especially Harvin) we could trade, add a pick and move towards the end of the 1st. My personal preference is Harvin. For one, he'll be available later than Maclin (I think, if Harvin runs anything in the 4.3s, all bets are off) and he is a bigger, more physical player. I think he'll weigh in at 200+, giving him the ability to move everywhere on our offense, including snaps in the backfield. He does have injury red flags, but when healthy, I am of the opinion, he was the best and most dynamic player in the country. His workout could be a low-4 40, 20+ bench reps and a near-40 vert. Anyone who saw his games in college knows how dangerous of a player he is. Little known fact: Percy Harvin scored a touchdown in 17 consecutive games to end his career at Florida. And those are real deal defenses, folks. Although my ideal draft would be Raji in the 1st, I think these game changers are viable options. Look no farther than Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson for little men who break big plays, while still being able to move the chains .

Because I am part Polish myself, I'll refrain from the obvious cheap shots I could take at you. But you're not even on a "(fill in the blank) grade writing level." It's more like a four-year-old's mastery of English composition.

All outrageous spending aside, he may be the best corner in the league. No one even looks his direction, and he's like 6'2". The Raiders really are out of control, though.

Well, I'm not going to be "routing" for your line of thinking anytime soon. More of a problem with Lynch than "Vic"? Maybe you're the "retard," bud. I think my point has gotten deluded. I'm not saying we should actively pursue personnel with character concerns; I'm saying I don't want to pass up pure talent by going out of our way to draft "high character" players. I think that gets you a very mediocre, albeit, "effort" squad -- a recipe for 7-9, if you will. We beat the teams we're supposed to and rarely win big games. Now, the extreme opposite is the Bengals. They had a perfect storm of terrible character guys and a lack of leadership and discipline from the top. I completely agree that this is also not the way to go about things

Allow me to explain myself: I am sick of hearing people piss and moan about athletes who get into marginal legal trouble in their free-time. The Marshawn issue is just a small part of it. What's wrong with just wanting these guys to be effective football players, and, short of hurting other citizens, not giving a damn what degree of quality person they are. And don't give me that "our kids look up to these guys," crap. Give your kids real role models. Would you not let your child watch "Home Improvement," because Tim Allen had been charged with a drunk driving? Would you keep your child from seeing "Iron Man," because Robert Downey Jr. had a problem with drugs? These guys are football players and, in many cases, a club and loincloth short of being classifiable barbarians. So save the morale high-ground stuff for another aspect of your life -- there certainly are plenty of other avenues for that holier-than-thou line of thought. Let these guys represent us ON the field by doing what they've trained and dreamed of doing for most of their lives: breaking other people's faces. I'm tired of this franchise (and a portion of its constituency) sacrificing football talent and athletic prowess for "high character" guys. Sure, there's something to be said for guys who are stable and good for locker room morale, but I suspect we have a team full of guys like that already. What we need is a nasty streak. Besides, there are plenty of guys who aren't "high character" but are still great for uniting a team and motivating for a collective goal. So, please Bills FO, bring in the football talent this off season -- be it free agency or draft. Leave the moral grand-standing for the politicians and televangelists. Good day, gentlemen; and until that day comes, keep your ear to the grindstone.

I wouldn't draft that guy in the 3rd!! He may very well be the most over-valued college football player of the last 10 years. He has a famous father and LOOKS like he would be an animal on the field. In their three bowl games against real teams, with real NFL caliber speed and athletes, he was exposed as what he is: A slow, marginally talented, Big 10(11) linebacker. If we're going to draft or pick up a LB in free agency, it needs to be to move Poz out of the middle and to his more natural position outside. If we were going to completely waste a first-rounder, I'd rather us take an unnecessary piece that would be fun to use: Maclin, Harvin, even DHB. No to Laurinaitus... At least until the 4th!

I find it interesting that the one-time UF standout's name hasn't been discussed on this board. IMO we have a good, traditional blocking, possession receiver TE prospect in Derek Fine. What we lack is a stretch the field athlete to line up and open the field. This kid was an absolute stud for the Gators two years ago. He is 6'4" 245lbs and is going to run a 4.5 40 at the combine. He is a freak of nature. If not for a knee injury right before the season, the kid would be a first-rounder, I'm convinced. Because of the injury, he could be there in the 3rd when we pick. This would allow us to go pass rusher/center rounds one and two, and then pick up a bit of a ceiling-less project in the third. As a fan of the SEC, I would absolutely love this scenario: 1: Brown DE/FSU 2: Caldwell C/Bama 3: Ingram TE/UF Watch for this kid to open eyes wide, once workout numbers begin to come out. Thoughts?

I was referring to his college numbers, combined with his limited professional resume'. Check it out. It should open your eyes. He hasn't been reliable since high school -- that includes holding onto the ball and keeping himself healthy.

I'm not sure we don't have a great running game, in all honesty. I think if we showed a commitment to Marshawn and Freddy, it would take a lot of pressure off our already anemic passing game. I don't think it's crazy to believe JP a better option to Trent -- hear me out. Trent is an injury-prone turnover machine. For God's sake, look at his track record. If anything, JP keeps defenses honest because he's dumb enough to chuck it dangerously deep. I don't think either are the answer, and I'd particularly like it if we stayed away from Cali-QBs... Forever.

Bill, you are absolutely clueless. Sometimes, I think you just put random football analysis into a hat and just pluck them out... Marshawn would catch hopeless dump-offs if we had a different coach? Your anaysis is on par with JP's play -- in fact, from here on out you are JPFromNYC. You drop back after games (on your comp) and just chuck a ridiculous gut-reaction JP-bomb down field. I used to enjoy your analysis, now it's like a prostate exam -- I absolutely hate it, and it it won't likely do me any good, but I just have to look and see what the results are.

I certainly did not notice all "good-stuff." All I'm saying is I took some "good-stuff" out of the game. Only a nit-wit would look at that performance and effort and call it a complete failure.

Let me start by saying Dick Jauron should not be an NFL coach. Now let's have a little moderation -- he's not terrible. The play call was suspect, but only mildly. I like that, as a team, we pulled our sack out and played (and coached) with a little bit of swagger. The execution was poor, but the play-call wasn't awful. In my opinion we should have kept it on the ground, but with the 2-minute-warning looming, I can see the though process. Be that as it may, the result of the game isn't all I was looking for. This team showed up for Dick. Now there is no question the team likes their leader, but I think he is in over his head. Some observations... Marshawn Lynch is an elite running back, and Fast Freddy is an elite change of pace. That facet of the team is absolutely and decidedly strong. The bottom line is if they get blocking (which they did today) they will torch defenses. TORCH. Lock up Jason Peters, please. He may have had lapses this season, but the guy is an elite athlete and will be a force at tackle for however long he decides to play. Steve Johnson was an absolute steal. I've said it before, but I have no idea how he fell so far in the draft. At Kentucky, the guy had a knack for the timely catch. He caught multiple game-winners and is the physical, big receiver we've been waiting for. If James Hardy is ever able to put it together, the two of them can completely change the look of our receiving core. Puzz is, and has been, over-rated. He doesn't shed blocks and is too often lost in the shuffle. He could be a very good OLB, but we need to be in the market for a real, NFL, MLB. Ray Malaluga??? Our QB situation is terrible. JP is lost, and Trent is a skirt-wearing girl. We can not be afraid to try and find a franchise QB in the draft. You need look no farther than this years Rookie class to see that when you find the right QB it can work early. Trent should come into next season as the incumbent, but he needs to be pushed by a rookie, and/or a veteran QB. Leodis is the most dangerous KO returner in the league. I don't care what anyone says, to me, that is a fact. He could end up an elite cover corner as well. Great pick. He is a game changer. The pieces are here people. We need some tweaking and direction, but the pices are here.

Well Bills fans, here we go again. I'd like to say it's all going to be OK, that the ship can be righted, that we have the pieces in place to move forward and succeed, but I can not, in good faith, tell you that my friends. I know not all is lost, but last night was a disappointment of the highest degree. It was unacceptable and the kind of thing that ruins WNYorkers lives. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Lindell Norwooded that kick three feet to the right. My thoughts after watching that uniquely Buffalonian tragedy unfold: 1) Trent Edwards turned in, what I would consider, one of the worst five QBing performances I have EVER seen. The stat line was deceptively friendly looking when compared to what unfolded right in front of all our eyes. The stat line would have been much worse had Marshawn not bailed his ass out on all of those ridiculous checkdowns. Honestly, have you ever seen a QB check down to the RB like that... ever. It was disgusting to watch. The guy had receivers running wild all game long and didn't trust his arm or decision making to pull the trigger. I liked the progression Trent was making earlier this year, but after this last stretch, I'm not sure he can bounce back. Bare with me: It's not that he's had bad games these last five. It's the way he's looked. On national TV last night he played as scared as any QB has played before. He was scared of his shadow. It was pathetic. I feel bad for him because the whole country just watched him drop back, go fetile, sob and suck his thumb for three and a half hours last night. The guy historically throws too many picks; the guy is historically injury prone; the guy historically does not win football games. The scariest thing of all is the number of picks he throws without ever really committing to throwing the ball down field. Eesh. 2) The O-Line sacked up and played like men last night. Peters looked All-Pro. They opened holes, and guess what, Marshawn exploded through them. 3) Onto Marshawn. What a performance! It was so refreshing to see him put the team on his back and drag them up and down the field with a huge smile on his face. It feels good to have a back who plays that physical, that smash-mouth, and can laugh and smile the entire game because that is the brand of football he loves. He relishes in fighting for the tough yards. 4) McKelvin. Get the F off the kids back. That was as dominant of a KR performance as you will ever see. Not only did he almost take all three kicks he fielded back to the house, but he gave us the ball at the 40 all night because the Browns were so terrified of him. He also turned in a pretty damn good performance at CB. If he would have come up with that pick, I think he would have become my favorite Bill by default. Way to go kid. 5) Steve Johnson -- eventual steal of the draft? After the drop, he looked as good as you can with a quarterback who has fetalized as Trent had. I still scratch my head when I think of him falling to round seven. He's got good size, decent speed and very reliable hands, if you look at what he did in college. He made some HUGE catches at Kentucky -- game winners -- against the best defensive talent in the country. I like a future of Lee Evans, Steve Johnson, James Hardy, and Roscoe in the slots. 6) Marcus Stroud is a man-monster. That guy was everywhere and worth every dime we paid him this off-season. 7) I love Bobby April. I don't know if its the fashion-forward glasses or the fact that he is the only coach that displays a pulse on the sideline. 8) I'm not ready to say that Dicky J needs to be shown the EXIT door, but I'm damn close. If he's going to be fired, we need to know we have someone who's for real and also willing to take the job. Anyone who thinks Bill Cowher is going to come coach in Buffalo, with what Ralph will cough up, needs to have they're head examined. 9) The Ralph was a beautiful thing to see in HD television last night. The passion and excitement were palpable. I was proud to be a Bills fan, and I felt an even stronger love for the city and people of Buffalo... Win or lose. It's hard to describe to a non-Bill, but I just feel like we have more heart than any other fans in the country. I goosebumped when the Shout song came on. Pretty awesome stuff. Let's win the next two and see what happens. Anthing is possible, although, everything will be impossible if Trent continues to play this way. JP deserves to finish the season if Trent figures out a way to lose the next two and continues to look this shell-shocked.

Looks like snow on the television...

* I do not think anyone should be mentioning Losman, however. That is crazy-talk.

First of all, shut the f*** up you bunch of cry babies. Are you serious? If a few tough losses pushes you to the point where you want to renounce your Bills-fandom, then get the f*** out! What a bunch of little whiny bitches on this board. "Uhh... I just can't waste my time on these losers anymore!" How much time of yours do they really waste? Three hours once a week? Read a book you bums. If you really feel like these guys are wasting your precious time, do something else. For me, even in a rough loss, it's still a reprieve from real life and a damn good excuse to drink beers on the weekend. Stop crying you bunch of women. I love the Bills, and that means I don't play that, "I can't cheer for this team anymore," bull sh--. If you can't handle the rough times, you don't deserve success. And anyone who says,"Good. Move this team to Toronto." F*** You! You're an idiot. As far as the game goes, I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal a line from Denny Green: Trent, as of right now, you are who I thought you were. You throw too many picks, can't hold onto the ball, and are injury prone... Exactly how you were in college. Our coaching preparation and schemes are embarrassing. I have NEVER been as frustrated watching a game as I was today -- complete and total ineptitude. Jauron is like sh*tty-tasting vanilla, generic-brand ice cream. This team has lost it's identity, and needs to find it soon before it's too late. We are still in this season. Hope is not completely lost. Go Bills.

You throw to the back shoulder when the defender has perfect coverage, or he is out in front a little. Hardy had a step and a half. The pass would have been completed with a decent pass. To blame that play, in any way, on Hardy is absolutely ridiculous. He came back and tried to fight for it. The fact of the matter is that it was so underthrown by the time Hardy got back to the play the DB had perfect position to use his body to shield off Hardy's effort. This is cut and dry folks. Trent has done a lot of good this year, but if you find yourself trying to put that particular play on Hardy, you need to get a grip.

If anyone has a working link, I would really appreciate it. Sorry this is kind of last second, I'm just trying to figure out if I need to rush out to the local watering hole. Thanks in advance.

There are definetly juniors on the list. Tim Tebow is a junior, and so is Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes. That's three from the Gators alone. I'm sure there are more.

The Broncos have somehow become the media darlings of this early season, and I can't seem to figure out why. Yes, their offense has looked impressive, but let's look at who they've played. 1)A bad Oakland team. Look what we did to them once we settled down and realized they weren't going to roll over -- 17 points in the last eight minutes. 2)A San Diego team that defensively will be a shell of their former selves without Shaun Merriman. 3)And the Saints, well are the Saints. I don't even think they have a defensive coordinator because it's a waste of time. Besides the fact that they have a TERRIBLE defense and have run up big numbers offensively on other poor defenses, they still are undefeated, right? Not so fast, this Denver team should be 1-2 not 3-0. They were literally beaten by the Chargers. If Hochulli doesn't blow that call it's a loss. Period. If it wasn't for that gnome Martin Gramatica blowing two FG's, they would have taken another loss yesterday. The Saints blew a lot of opportunities throughout on top of the blown kicks. Now don't give me the "well we could be 1-2 too," because it's different. We made two legit fourth quarter comebacks. No blown calls, no midget-missed kicks, no nothing -- just a little heart and persevearence. Bills football. Ladies and gentleman, I think we could be back. We may very well be the class of the AFC.

To clear up a few misconceptions... If you think Manning and Brady are non-athletic putzes, who are as immobile as they may look next to the freakish NFL defenses, you're out of your mind. Those guys are both ELITE athletes. If they showed up to your little weekend, pick-up basketball game, or your slow-pitch softball league they would be the fastest, strongest, most agile players on the field by far. Look at the passing numbers from Tebow. I think some of you Big Ten'ers are a little delusional up here. There definetly seems to be a lot of unwarranted Tebow hate on this board. The guy did what he did in the SEC (best conference in the country) as a SOPHOMORE. Anyone willing to write him off after he has one a Heisman and National Championship in his forst two years is just an idiot.

With all due respect to McGee, I think that McKelvin just seems a little more explosive. Call me crazy, but when he hits his break and decides to make that big move he looks like Devin Hester. It's that extra gear that only really great kick returners posses. McGee is a very good returner, but I think McKelvin could be even better. Hell, he may already be. Watch them objectively. McKelvin seems more electric already. Not to mention the fact that one is a starter in our defensive secondary and one is not.

Bill Walsh said Rick Mirer was the next Joe Montana. This is just silly talk, my man. Trent shows upside, but he has a lot to prove. He's injury prone (or so it seems) he throws too many picks (look at his college and last year's numbers) and he checks down to the flats much too quickly. His upside is that he is a really smart kid, he has an under-rated arm and he seems to have an aura around him that an elite quaterback has to have. To say he may be one of the greats is extremely myopic. It is what it is though, a fantastic piece of message board speculation. Maybe I should start a thread about my prediction that one day Trent will play like a more inteligent Brady, Demetrius Bell a more agressive Johnathan Ogden, Tim Tebow will be moved to our defensive secondary while Dick Jauron and Steve Fairchild struggle to learn the rules to Go Fish.

I have to disagree with most of you. He ran the ball last season as much as he did bacause of a lack of a decent and reliable running back. It's not like that's optimum for UF's system. It just so happend that he is probably one of the best short-yard running backs in the country. That doesn't neccesarily mean that he can't throw the ball all over the field. Some of oyu are acting like the two are mutually exclusive. They're clearly not. I would however like to point out that I think Tebow's short yard capabilities would be ultra-valuable in the NFL. Not in respect to running the ball like he had to last year, but c'mon, you can't tell me if you have a critical fourth and inches you wouldn't want that guy running your team's QB sneak. He'd still be nearly unstopable -- even at the next level. Remember, he did what he did last year in the SEC with a schedule widely regarded as the most dificult in the country. It's not like he was putting up those numbers at William and Mary! I'm not sure how great he can be on the next level, although I think his ceiling is VERY high. He's 6'3" 240, with a rocket arm and a great head on his shoulders. He needs to try to fix his release, but there have been very successful NFL quarterbacks with funky, side-arm style deliveries. His mobility is an asset and he's a proven great leader. The kids a freak. He's tough as nails He would make ANY franchise happy as far as a "poster boy" too. On another note, I hate that "system player" bullsh*t. Isn't everyone techinically in a system of one form or another? All of football is moving to more of a spread offense anyway. It's not like they're running the wishbone down there in Gainesville. Look at his numbers from last year -- leave the rushing numbers out. The kid can throw the ball. He's accurate, has zip and has a nack for deep balls. The kid had a 70 TD season in high school -- 50 through the air. And I know it's just high school, but he's still doing it now on the highest possible collegiate stage. I'm really quite baffled by the Tebow detractors. What does he not do that you'd want to see?