ChanOverChin

"I don't know, and neither does anyone else around here..." Precisely my point. Don't ASSUME that Whaley agreed with everything that Nix wanted. Personnel guys rarely agree on the same direction to take the team. That's why there can truly only be ONE guy in charge. Whaley might have thought that Manuel was a very good option at the time, but at the time he didn't have the very real possibility of drafting a guy like Manziel. Whaley is going to continue to tell us that Manuel is his guy........until he isn't. Finding the best possible QB to lead this franchise should be Whaley's #1 priority. Even if the Bills decide not to draft Manziel for whatever reason (they may not even get the opportunity) they should still consider drafting a quality QB to challenge manuel just in case he doesn't pan out or proves to be injury-prone.

Without the right swagger you're not going to make it in the NFL. The swagger comes from knowing that you can get the job done because you've gotten the job done against stellar competition in the past. No player is a guaranteed great player when you draft them, but from what I've seen of Manziel, he's a player well worth taking a chance on. I'm certainly not alone in that view. People tend to hate on Manziel much like they did with Flutie becauseof his lack of size. But Flutie proved them wrong I believe that Manziel will prove to be a better player than Flutie......and that's saying something.

The first question should have been, "Are you a true Bills fan and really want to see them win??". Because if you are then you would want them to acquire a franchise QB when they can get one since they're not going to make it to the playoffs and beat out teams like N.E. without that type of player at QB. Considering that the Bills won't always have the opportunity to select a franchise QB, when that opportunity presents itself, it would be foolish to dismiss it because you happened to select a QB last year in R1. BTW, the guy who selected him is no longer in charge. How many times do you see a new GM just stay with the prior GM's choice at QB?? To put Manziel in perspective, Gil Brandt sees Manziel as the #1 player in the 2014 draft, hands down!! Jon Gruden (the guy knows QBs) and T. Aikman (HOF NFL QB, very intelligent, knows a little bit about being an NFL QB) both believe Manziel will be, not just a good NFL QB, but a GREAT NFL QB!! The consensus among the NFL experts is that had Manuel been eligible for the 2014 draft he would have been rated as the 8th best QB. Yes, well behind Manziel. Now, knowing all of that, are you telling me that you're willing to settle for the 8th best QB who didn't do much to make you believe that he deserves to be the starting QB of this franchise for the foreseeable future or would you be willing to take a chance on potentially the #1 player in the draft and who some have likened to Brett Favre himself?? Once again, think about the 14 straight years without making the playoffs because the Bills have absolutely stunk at QB. There's a definite correlation there. Poor QB = no playoffs = no Super Bowl win!! If Manziel was there at #9 overall you'd have to be crazy not to take him.

First let me say, in all honesty, that I greatly admire the character and hard-working attitude that Manuel has displayed. Absolutely exemplary!! I'm completely in his corner and really, really, REALLY hope that he's our next franchise QB. That being said, I'd really like to know from the Peanut Gallery whether you believe that Manuel was Whaley's choice or Nix's choice. Remember now that Nix was the Bills' GM and the guy who had the last say regarding whether to select Manuel last season in R1. Was Whaley trully on board with that decision?? After seeing Manuel suffer injury after injury last season and not make it through an entire season, could Whaley have some real concerns regarding manuel's durability?? Because if Whaley wasn't or isn't as enamored with Manuel as Nix was then he just might consider other options as they become available to him.............such as possibly the next B. Favre.

I agree. I've seen enough of Manziel to know that I'd love to have him be Buffalo's starting QB. He is so confident and crafty it's unbelieivable!! He plays like D. Flutie, but has a stronger arm, and has the swagger of three J. Kellys!! With Manziel at QB the Bills make the playoffs in 2014.

Players fall in the draft many times for nothing that they have done. Manziel doesn't fit the prototypical NFL QB standard because of his size so believe it or not a lot of teams just won't be a ble to pull the trigger on him especially with their precious high pick. If he falls all the way to #9 overall then it's a win-win situation fo rthe Bills. I think he will prove to be better than Flutie, but not quite as good as B. Favre if he can mage to stay healthy. The next best scenario for the Bills would be for there to be a run on QBs starting at #3 overall (i.e. the Jaguars' pick). We could see Manziel, Bortles, and Bridgewater....and even Carr..... selected before #9 overall. Teams without a high caliber starting QB or one that is not very young are notorious for over-reaching for a QB in R1. If that happens then obviously it will force one of the top 8 non-QB position players to fall right into Buffalo's lap. In that scenario, guys like Matthews, Lewan,and maybe even Mack could be there for the taking. What I don't want to see happen is for ZERO QBs to be taken prior to #9 overall and all three of the besr OTs (Robinson/Matthews/Lewan) selected prior to #9. That would greatly lessen the options that the Bills will have. I wouldn't mind ending up with OT Z. Martin, but not at #9 overall.

NFL experts' picks for where Manziel will be selected are all over the place. Anyway from the top 5 to mid R1 to later R1. Make no mistake about it that Johnny Manziel is worthy of a top 3 to top 5 selection, but that doesn't mean that he will actually be drafted there. The chances of him falling to #9 overall are pretty realistic at this point because so many teams are enamored with other players/positions first. QBs Bortles and Bridgewater muddy the QB waters because some teams may few these two QBs as safer picks. There are quite a few guys who are deserving of being selected within the top 8 including Clowney, Mack, Robinson, Watkins, Mattews, Lewan, Ebron, Donald, Bortles, Bridgewater. If eight of those ten players are sleected within the top 8 then Manziel falls to the Bills at #9. The Bills would ideally prefer to select an OT like Mattews or a DE like Mack at #9 overall, but if Manziel slips to #9 overall suddenly they could end up with the #13 pick from St. Louis or the #16 pick from Dallas, select OT Z. Martin, and then add possibly additional picks in R2 and R3 this year plus maybe even a player or a late draft pick or a high pick in 2015. That would allow thenm to fill their need at OT (Martin is not very far from the top 10 anyway) and then be able to pick up possibly two additional starters with the additional R2 and R3 picks. Pretty sweet!!

A very interesting scenario could play out for the Bills.....and that is that Johnny Manziel falls to #9 overall. It should lot happen, but it could because so many of the teams that apprently need a starting caliber QB are willing to wait until later in R1. At that point I think the Bills' phone starts to ring off the hook. Whether you like Manziel or you don't doesn't matter. He will draw interest from other teams and the Bills will likely be given multiple offers to trade down. Dallas is currently sitting at #16 overall and they just might be willing to offer up the farm to be able to select Manziel. We're talking about R1, R2 and R3 picks in 2014 and possibly a R2 or R3 pick in 2015. Whatever it takes. I see this as the best case scenario because the Bills have definite multiple needs. They must fill glaring needs at OT and DE. To a lesser extent they could use another quality QB, a solid RB (Jackson and Spiller could both be gone next year), a more athletic TE, a big WR, more depth at LB, and more depth at CB and S. OR........they could shock us all and select Manziel himself at #9 overall. One stellar QB can offer make up for many of those needs mentioned above.

I expect that there will be one or more trades within the top 10 picks so it won't be that cut and dry. I would trade down a few spots given that scenario (to obtain at least an additional R2 pick) then still be able to select OT Lewan or TE Ebron. Obtaining that second R2 pick would allow me to fill our three most pressing needs: OT, DE, TE in the first two rounds.

There are obvously lots of different slection scenarios in front of us that could happen that will affect what we do. Robinson will be selected within the top 5 picks so he won't come into play for us. If Matthews and Lewan are also gone by #9 overall then I think the Bills will need to rethink all of this. (That is a very real possibility by the way). I would be in favor of trading down a few spots while picking up at least an additional R2 pick if that's the case. Our best case scenario would be to have at least three QBs selected prior to the #9 pick (since we're supposedly not looking to select a QB, at least not in the first few rounds). Bortles, Bridgewater, Manziel, and Carr are all possibilities. I expect the Bills to take the BPA (who is not a QB) when they select, but I really believe they are hoping that that player is an offensive player (i.e. OT/TE/WR) so that they can help out Manuel.

75Bills, unfortunately, you can't always have your cake an eat it too. Watkins is most likely going to be selected by somebody amoung the top 3-4 picks. For the Bills to move down from #9 to #3 or #4 it's likely going to cost them the #9 overall pick, next year's R1 pick, and a R2 pick this year. That's a very steep price to pay for a WR, no matter how good he is. IMHO, the Bills have a lot of good WRs, but nobody great. I think they can get by with St. Johnson, Mi. Williams, Woods, and Goodwin (alreay a better group than last year) while providing another receiving threat at TE and a much better O-line with the addition of Matthews or Lewan. The improvement of the O-line alone makes everybody else better on offense. It gives Manuel more time to survey the field and for the receivers to get open and it helps to provide more considtent openings for Jackson and Spiller. Once Spiller gets to the outside or past the first wave of defenders he's one missed tackle away from taking it to the house. I'm almost never in favor of putting all of my eggs in one basket for one player.............unless that player is a franchise QB.

My read on Whaley and the Bills is that they desperately want to help out Manuel in this draft. They have set themselves up well so that they are not pidgeon-holed into taking a certain position to fill a great need. If they are going to go "all in" on Manuel and not bring in any real competition for him then the smart move is to give him better protection and more weapons to work with. That's why I see the Bills drafting an OT and a TE in the first two rounds of this draft. They have a big need at DE as well, but I don't see them addressing that need until at least R3. Trading up for Clowney or Watkins makes little sense to me because if they do that then they will not likely be able to fill the other holes that they have (they will simply have to give up too much!!) and that could advesely affect Manuel's development in 2014. The most likely scenario for the Bills is that they select an OT in R1 and a TE in R2 or vice versa. What I'd like to know from all of you is in which scenario do you think they would come away with the best players?? (I think that Whaley and the Bills think through this assessment.) In other words, are they better off with TE Ebron in R1 and a lesser OT in R2 (possibly T. Richardson, primarily a RT or Kouandjto) or are they better off taking one of the stud OTs in R1 (possibly Matthews or Lewan) and then a lesser TE (possibly Sefertan-Jenkins or Amaro)?? See the attached link for one man's assessment of the top 50 players in the 2014 draft. It will give you an idea of where the best OTs and TEs rank among the top 50 players. Link: http://www.nfl.com/draft365/rankings. I think would be happier with OT Matthews/TESefertan-Jenkins or OT Lewan/TESefertan-Jenkins than TE Ebron/OTC. Kouandjto for instance. I like the idea of being able to better protect Manuel first. Matthews would be an absolute steal at #9 overall IMHO because of his versatility, size, length, and pedigree. He's good enough to be taken #2 overall. Some draft experts actually think that Lewan will a better player than Matthews, which says a lot about Lewan. Your thoughts??

Several different sources have reported that the Bills are trying to trade up in the draft. Just how far no one knows. My guess is that they are enamored with DE Clowney or even WR Watkins............two guys that they think can be difference-makers this year en route to making the playoffs. I get the distinct feeling from Whaley that he thinks the Bills are very close to maing the playoffs and need to make a big move to put them over the top. I will say that I am concerned that they will have to give up way too much to get Clowney or Watkins. Something tells me that St. Johnson could be included in any such trade up deal rather than mortgaging our precious few draft picks this year. We shall see. The former GM would never make such a move.

If Manziel lasts to #9 overall, I'll eat my hat. There is no way that he falls that far. He's too dynamic. If Manziel lasts to #9 overall I think the Bills should seriously consider taking him. Would you take B. Favre at #9 overall?? My guess is that you would. The Cowboys want Manziel. There are others that want him as well. Jax and Cleveland pick #3 and #4 overall respectively and both need a starting caliber QB. I would be more than mildly surprised if e makes it past both teams. The Bills could win the lottery if Manziel lasts to #9. My guess is that a team like Dallas would ante up a king's ransom to get him.............if they believe that he could be their new franchise QB. The again, why would the Bills trade the rights to Manziel when he could be the one player that they need to make it to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years???

.................when you consider where the Bills are with their roster currently. Those two players are Clowney and Manziel. We might consider giving up the farm for Clowney to greatly bolster our pass rush, and thus, our defense. We might consider trading up for Manziel if the Bills' brain trust believes like Brandt/Gruden/Aikman do that he is the next B. Favre. Brandt has Manziel #1 in his top 125 player list. No other player in this draft is going to be able to make the same type of impact worthy of what it would take to trade up. I just don't see Whaley making this type of move, but I will say that it may take a bold move by Whaley to put the Bills in the playoffs sooner than later. Even B. Polian once traded two R1 picks and a prominent RB for OLB C. Bennett.

So we're not going to agree. How can we when some of you think Glenn is a Pro Bowl player. If he's been to the Pro Bowl it's only because he had a ticket. I just want to point out that I feel vey strongly that Matthews will be Buffalo's pick at #9 overall................................if he makes it that far. Why?? Because he will be the best player on the board at #9 overall, because he's good enough to be selected #2 overall, because Buffalo's HC (a former NFL OL himself) believes strongly that a solid O-line is a very high priority, because Matthews could become a starting LT in the NFL, and because his daddy was a 19 yr NFL veteran OL who is in the HOF. Let me ask you this, who do you project to be a better player in the NFL long term, Glenn or Matthews and why?? Who will make it to more Pro Bowls ...................and not because they have a ticket??

Glenn is a good LT, not a great LT. He has two years left on his contract. You mean to tell me that if Marrone has a BETTER LT on the roster than Glenn that he won't play him there......................because some guys at TBD say so?? If Matthews projects as a better LT and/or PROVES in training camp/preseason games that he is a better LT than Glenn then I suspect that he'll be the starting LT on opening day. End of story. Glenn is going to play where the HC tells him to play........for the betterment of the team. Heck, it was suggested that he move to one of the OG positions at one time for Pete sake. For those who question Matthews' ability, obviously, I can only PROJECT where he would play at this time. It's a PROJECTION!! Got it?? I would say that it's a fairly safe projection to say that Matthews projects as a better LT than Glenn if Glenn was a R2 pick (and barely considered an NFL caliber LT) while Matthews was projected to be not only a R1 pick, but the #1 pick in the entire draft. The real kicker that many of you don't seem to get is that this kid has the bloodline of an NFL All-Pro and HOFer. The Bills would be extremely fortunate to get this kid at #9 overall.

You can be sure that the Bills will put the best player at LT. Bill Parcells once said, "Get me a stud LT and I'll fill in the rest" (i.e. the rest of the O-line). My point above is that the Bills would be getting a stud LT in J. Mathews, not just a RT. In fact, they would be getting a better LT than they already have on the roster. That makes him very worthy of the #9 selection overall. His value to the team would be greatly helping to improve the running, the passing game, and helping to keep EJ healthy for 16 games. I don't think that it's a reach to project that Mathews would be a better LT than Glenn given the info that I provided above.

Obviously it's not a given that the Bills will select LT/RT J. Mathews or that he will even last until the #9 pick overall, but for the sake of argument let's assume that he does make it to #9 and the Bills smartly select him. Would it be a given that he would play RT?? Not necessarily. Glenn has proven to be a very capable LT, there's no doubt about that, but if Mathews proves to be even better, and by my estimation he is definitely a better LT than Glenn, then I think the Bills would play Mathews at LT and Glenn at RT. That would certainly make us very strong at the OT position for many years to come. When you consider that aspect of it, Mathews becomes very highly coveted. For the most part, RTs are a dime a dozen. LTs are not. Because LTs have to protect the QB's blind side (considering that most NFL QBs are right-handed) and go up against the opposition's best, most athletic pass rusher for the most part, they are much more in demand and well worth a top ten selection. Considering that Mathews would have been the #1 selection overall last year had he opted for the draft as a Junior and that the three top OTs in this year's draft (Mathews/Robinson/Lewan) are all considered to be better than the top two OTs that were drafted last year in the top 5, that should really tell you the kind of player that Mathews is and the great value that the Bills would be getting at #9 overall. For my money, being able to select J. Mathews at #9 overall would be a God-send for EJ Manuel and the Bills. He is my pick for the Bills in R1.

St. Louis is the team to watch out for regarding Mathews because Fisher is all too familiar with the Mathews' family football prowess. If Fisher doesn't take Mathews I think he could easily slide to the Bills at #9 because I really think that the teams selecting ahead of the Bills will not be able to resist the three QBs that I've mentioned above. I would not trade down out of the #9 slot because after the first 9-10 picks the quality begins to dwindle noticeably. Mathews is a franchise player. If he's anything close to the player that his dad was and that his brother is then you know what I'm talking about. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Mathews has very few if any question marks and can start immediately at both LT and RT. Ebron has a few question marks, which is what tips the scale in Mathews' favor. I don't see WR Evans in the same class as both Mathews and Ebron. This draft should be about helping to make Buffalo's franchise player a better player and a player who can play through 16 games and beyond. If we're going to make the decision to go all in on EJ as our starting QB, which appears to be the case, then we had better surround him with better players. I think Mathews, Ebron, and Evans all belong in the conversation, but I think Mathews helps to make EJ a better player more than the other two. Mathews would be our best OL. Anybody the Bills take in R2 would be lucky to be the 3rd or 4th best OL. That would not be improving the O-line very much. With Mathews the Bills' starting O-line would look like this: Glenn/C. Williams/Wood/Urbik/Mathews OR Mathews/Urbik/Wood/C. Williams/Glenn. That group would greatly help to improve both the running game and the passing game and give EJ the best opportunity to improve and stay healthy. If EJ can't stay healthy we're not going to win a whole lot of games.

I think it's quite conceivable that both Mathews and Ebron drop to #9 overall because it's likely that Manziel, Bortles, and bridgewater will be selected prior to the Bills selecting at #9 overall. Given that scenario I think it's a win-win situation for the Bills. The exciting pick is Ebron who has been liked to SF's TE V. Davis. He can do it all and would add a very nice dimension for the Bills at TE. Mathews is a stud who can play both LT and RT. His bloodline (dad was a long time All-Pro) and brother (likely to be a long-time All-Pro) help to make him a very solid pick. I would be very tempted to take Ebron, but ultimately I think I would have to select Mathews if I were forced to choose between the two. Mathews could very likely be a stud OT for 10 years plus given what his daddy did in the NFL. Who would you choose???

.........or we could keep doing the same kinds of things that we've always done, like sign FAs that nobody else wants and pay them a boatload of money (i.e. C. Williams), let great players get away while using our high draft picks to try to fill their roles the following year (guys like M. Lynch and J. Byrd come to mind), which only continues the backwards cycle. Offer solutions fellas or STFU!!

1. Sign ILB B. Spikes to play alongside LB K. Alonzo. Losing Spikes makes the Pats weaker. 2. Sign NT/DT V. Wilfork. Wilfork is the immovable object and would do wonders for our defense vs the run. Schwartz is looking to improve the run defense and this guy can greatly help to get the job done, especially alongside K. Williams, Dareus, and Ma. Williams. Losing Wilfork makes the Pats weaker. 3. Sign a vet QB to help show Manuel and Lewis the ropes. Vick and Fitzpatrick are options as FAs. A trade for B. Rothlisberger would be even better. 4. Sign a big RB for short yardage and goal line situations. Dixon is being given a look. A. Brown from the Giants would be another low cost option. 5. Sign a vet WR who can compete for a starting spot with SJ and Woods. 6. Upgrade the O-line via the draft. 7. Draft a big, playmaking WR. 8. Draft a pass rusher to play DE or OLB or both.

ILB B. Spikes needs to be signed yesterday!! The Bills need an experienced ILB and he fits the bill. He would give another another great tackler on 1st and 2nd down and add some nastiness to the defense. Plus, any starters that we can take away from the Pats is a big plus to me. Spikes is still very young and may be interested in Buffalo because they is a starting spot waiting for him with Pepper Johnson now in Buffalo to work with. If the Bills sign Spikes I will truly be excited about this upcoming season.

It's flawed logic to hope and pray that Manuel will work out for us at QB in 2014. The Bills need to assess all of their options this year to bring in another QB who is capable of starting in the NFL. Even if they get the 4th or 5th best QB in the 2014 draft that player may be better than Manuel....or at least as good. Maybe they sign or trade for a vet QB instead. That's what I would be more inclined to do. Manuel/Lewis/Tuel already give them young guys to develop. Bring in a really good vet QB to show them the ropes. The Bills are NEVER going to get past 8-8 and make the playoffs without a really good starting QB. I hope that player is Manuel, but it doesn't have to be.