dpberr

I still think Manning retires. He isn't healthy. He's a legend in Indy. How he handles things right now will define his legacy and his career after football. He's aware of that. So is Irsay. However, should he not retire, I see him delaying the bonus to engineer a trade where both he and the Colts make out on the deal. He goes to where he wants to, and Indy gets some compensation back in return. Out of the teams listed, I picked the Cardinals. Dome team, excellent WR talent, overall good team that isn't in the AFC nor has to face the old home crowd. I don't think he'll be playing in the AFC at all nor in the NFC East. This guy isn't a mercenary to the highest bidder.

I'd agree, but if you had your choice... would you rather: Being Brian Cardinal: the last on the bench in the NBA (good salary and you watch all the games ON the floor); The "light hitting, questionable glove, but somewhat speedy" reserve infielder in baseball; Long snapper.

...would have loved to see the Cardinals and Chargers (1994) as Super Bowl champs. One of the very best games I ever watched was that Dolphins/Chargers AFC division game. The game had both a comeback and a wide right. All in the span of less than a minute. Ahh the days of Dick Enberg on NBC calling the AFC games.

I'm with you on Colston. I think he's the best of the bunch that's out there. Ironically, if the Bills were in the market for two receivers, I'd try to sign his teammate Meachem too. Given Gailey's love of the spread offense, he'd get plenty of work.

The Vikings are doing what the Colts and Rams should be doing. They will sucker some team into a trade that nets them a bunch of picks. (Hopefully said sucker team is not the Bills.)

I've always been impressed with the career of Patrick Mannelly, the Bears long snapper, one of the great NFL long snappers.

Long snapper....very tasty. (One of the best, however underrated movies of all time)

The title of this post gave me a great laugh. Thank you. I just imagined this coming on the McLaughlin Hour all loaded for bear with seriousness.

Inspector Gadget did not have a good NFL career. I wouldn't pass over either of those men based on this statistic.

He's got what he's got. I saw some of those game loses more on him than any perceived or real lack of talent. Even if you have a team of Ravens caliber defense and Packers offense, if you don't adjust your game strategy and play calling, you will lose. The best coaches in the NFL do not apply a stonecutter mentality to playcalling. They aren't going to run the same set of plays no matter what, in hopes of the 1,000 strike, the stone crumbles. They adjust to what the defense gives them and the players they've got.

No. Coach refuses to make adjustments. That will doom him. Prove me wrong Chan. I really hope you do. I want you to.

I had a "Bills" moment watching that play. That sense of dread, despair and fear all in the shape and speed of a freight train.

Agreed that both your stated examples are good players. However, in my original post, I stated that I preferred players with established performance from winning programs. Harrison was undrafted only after two years at Kent State and took a while to develop and was a one year wonder at Kent State. Urlacher had an established record of performance. The man was a college legend. I think when you combine the OYW and a losing program, you're taking on a lot of risk for a top ten pick. That's all I'm saying.

It's in the state's best interest to spend some money to retain the Bills. The team has no debt and is financially solid. Yes, it doesn't generate the revenue of larger markets, but when you look at the Bills books, they are a solid investment of taxpayer money. Should the Bills leave, the state will spend twice that amount trying to spur something to be done with the now empty stadium, the land around it, and the financial impact on the municipalities in its immediate vicinity. An empty NFL stadium is akin to a closed military base and figuring out what to do with it.

I've never bought the idea that there's no plan in place when Ralph Wilson passes away. On the contrary, I think there's been a plan in place for some time with an "equitable" owner of sorts. For now, so long as he's alive, there is plenty of financial benefit to keeping that agreement and parties confidential. If any of that got some sun, it'd be absolute chaos for Wilson and the prospetive owners and a massive risk to the investment. Sure, there is the fanbase, but you have a lot of corporate relationships that go smoother when there's a lot of stability. You don't want your corporate sponsors or the NFL getting nervous. You'd have the scrutiny of the NFL, IRS and not to mention other groups and persons trying to sneak in and outmaneuver you. You keep any arrangement air tight until it's done.

He's an alright coordinator but much like our head coach, he's not great at adjusting for available personnel and game situations. Once he finds his winning formula, he'll stick to it, regardless of available personnel to execute it. His defenses always play well in the first quarter of the season until injuries occur and game tape is available.

Ravens and Giants. The trends are favorable for both teams. While that 2000 Super Bowl rematch will be the equivalent of a Spurs/Cavaliers NBA finals, they are the two most balanced teams of the four, with above average defenses.

Haha. Love that.

I think it's important, especially on defense. Looking at the college pipeline into the NFL, winning programs contribute the greatest number of NFL players. When you think of the teams that have historically contributed the most NFL players... USC, Miami, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Penn State, Ohio State, etc. you can readily establish years or decades of winning programs and NFL talent. You want that top ten pick to be as safe and as sure a bet as possible. You want to eliminate that bust potential as much as possible. You want your player to have faced the tough competition and performed well against it.

I like taking solid players, with proven, consistent performance from winning programs when drafting in the first round. Whitney Mercilus is not that player.

Just like Jeff Fisher, give Bill Cowher or any coach nearly twenty years, and he'll probably give you an above average result. Nothing outside old age, health issues or death, says Chan Gailey, for example, couldn't get to the same place given 15 years. Further, Cowher and Fisher inherited relatively intact and somewhat mediocre teams, not complete shipwrecks that needed a massive overhaul.

Unless you're going to get the DeLorean up to 88mph, what's the point of discussing this draft pick in 2012?

Not wearing the colors = I don't care. I follow and root for the machine, not all the little cogs.

What's the big deal about Jeff Fisher? Give any half decent coach 16 years and he'll probably win just as much as Fisher did.

Intriguing question. I wouldn't do the trade. Unless it's a top ten pick which it won't be, I prefer the proven quantity.