hondo in seattle

In the pre-salary cap early 90s, we had a HOF QB, a HOF RB, and a HOF WR (in fact, for a while, 2 HOF wideouts). When Ds focused on stopping Kelly, we hit 'em with Thurman. When they loaded the box to stop Thurman, Kelly killed them with downfield throws. But maybe one of the truths of the salary cap era is that it's unrealistic these days to expect a team to excel at running and passing at the same time. I don't know if Hall is the guy, but it would be great if would get a Pro Bowl type back on a rookie contract. To repeat, RB is not my favorite idea for our first pick. But I do see value in a back who could make defenses respect, fear, and scheme for our rushing attack. A good running attack helps open up the pass. Conversely, a good passing attack helps open up the run. When you force defenses to defend everything, they usually fail.

Sure he does ~ against teams playing some flavor of pass defense. Thurman only average 4.2 in his career. Stats tell us Motor is better than Thomas. Stats lie. Thurman, Cookie, OJ. ~ they'd all be averaging over 7 YPC against the kind of defenses Singletary has faced. Imagine what we could do if we could resurrect or rejuvenate our past RB stars. How would opponents defend us? Load the box to stop the run and we'll throw on you. Sit back in a shell, and we'll run all over you. I appreciate Motor for who he is and what he does. But we'd be downright scary if we had a Tier 1 back.

I agree actually. Let me show my age... Back in 1971, I watched Willie Ellison run 26 times for 247 yards, breaking Cookie Gilchrist's single game record. OJ, of course, would later break Ellison's record. Don't remember Willie Ellison? Most fans don't. Willie wasn't a great back. But he ran through the biggest holes I've ever seen in an NFL game. I'd love to have a Cookie or OJ clone on this team. But even more so, I'd love an offensive line that could dominate defenders the way those Rams linemen did for Willie that sunny Southern California day.

Thanks for the links. Considering we're a pass-first team, this from BR is concerning: "...His route tree is limited to checkdowns and screens, which does limit some of his versatility... Hall will need to keep developing his pass protection to stay on the field on passing downs... His effort and technique can be inconsistent, and he can be prone to cutting blitzers, which is disappointing given his size..."

NFL teams still run about 44% of the time (the Bills around 41%). Don't you want those plays to be successful? A good/great RB will help move the chains and make it harder for defenses to scheme solely for Josh and his wideouts. Though I agree it's not our biggest need. I'd go CB or OL.

I'm the wrong person to ask if mock drafts are worth it because I don't usually read them. This year, with the Bills picking 25th, it's really hard to guess who'll be available and who the Bills will actually choose. But if we were picking in the top five, I might feel differently. A lot of draft gurus will get the top 3, 4, 5 picks correct.

I don't disagree about the need for receivers. But it's lunacy to say drafting a corner is lunacy. Today's game, not just in Buffalo, is a passing game. That's where most of the yards are gained and most of the points are scored. So we have to be good at both the pass and stopping the pass. We didn't lose to the Chiefs because we couldn't score. We lost because we couldn't stop them from scoring. We're a nickel defense. We need 3 good corners. Depending on Tre's recovery, it's questionable if we even have one right now. Not sure why you are taking shots at us older fans. You should be on your knees, genuflecting in respect for our superior experience and wisdom.

The media is, after all, about entertainment. The story is more compelling this way: Josh was an overlooked QB in high school; then a JUCO nobody; then an unimpressive starter at lowly Wyoming; and then an inaccurate, unpolished starter in Buffalo for a couple of years before making his unexpected/miraculous emergence as an NFL superstar. But the truth isn't quite that dramatic. His growing skillset was there to see at Wyoming and, even more so, his first two years with the Bills. The OP is right when he points out the OL and WR corps Josh's first couple years with us didn't do him many favors. His stats those years were deflated, Brady like, by the lack of talent around him.

Yeah, I'm not convinced this is good news for the 'phins. They're spending a lot of money - a lot of cap space they now can't spend on other players. And they gave up some good picks that might have become good players. And I've got to wonder if - to a certain extent - Hill's talent is wasted with Tua under center. With Hill, Miami is instantly better, scarier. But I'm not sure I would have made this trade if I was the GM.

A lot of us were wrong about that!

True enough... But the Bills history isn't generously blessed with a multitude of talented TEs.

I'm not surprised that CB is the top answer. I am surprised that so few people are voting for OL. Josh was under siege in a number of games last year. Not only does our porous OL slow down our offense, it puts the health and well-being of our most valuable player at risk. Do we all believe that the additions of Saffold, Mancz and Kromer are enough to keep Josh safe and give him a clean pocket?

To me, it was always: Dawson Knox/Hands of Rocks." His first couple years, he only caught about 55% of the passes thrown to him. While Josh may have been off target a few times, Roxy Knoxy dropped way too many balls. Last year, though, he caught 69% of the balls thrown to him. His improvement as a pass-catcher has been fun to see.

I'd rather have McKissic signed and be drafting OL instead. The fewer needs on draft day, the better.

Nothing against Williams, but what would make this offense unstoppable is a powerhouse offensive line.

Maybe this is my imagination so other long-time Bills fans can chime in... But it seems to me that in the past we could pretty much predict the final 53 at the conclusion of the draft. In the spring, we'd bring in a bunch of cannon fodder but there were few meaningful training camp battles. But Beane signs legit guys to battle for roster spots. So I think it's too early to say there are only 5, 7, whatever spots available. Of course, there are some glaring openings. But I also think that some of the guys who look to make the 53 man roster right now we'll find themselves in heated competitions once camp gets going.

Lots of second-rounders don't become good starters. Then again, those who do are tremendously valuable for a few years because they're playing on a rookie contract. In order to pay Josh big money (and Von and others), we need contributions from our own draft picks - guys on affordable rookie contracts.

When he first came to Buffalo, it was a match made in Heaven. He loved Josh, the offense, his role in the offense, the fans. And we all loved him back. Somehow much of that fell apart. I think it's odd we couldn't find a trade partner. But at least by releasing him - giving him the freedom he wants to play elsewhere - we gain much need cap space.

Ah, Typo... I think Miller will get 35-40 sacks in the next four years and be paid over $1 million per sack.

I gotta admit, the locker room leadership stuff does excite me. Showing my age... I remember when we signed Phil Villipiano - when he was past his prime - to help build a winning culture.

I never say Beane sucks. Just the opposite: I think he's a good GM. I'm not worried about Beane's big signings: I'm just happy he's made the roster better. And I know a six-year contract is not necessarily a six-year contract. And I will absolutely love seeing Von Miller in a Bills uni later this year. Despite all that, I still question this deal. Bruce still produced at a good - not great - level in his mid 30s. Maybe Von will too. I hope so. But I think we'll end up paying Von $1+ million per sack over the next 3-4 years. And I wonder if that money would have been better spent elsewhere.

I hate to be Eeyore - that's not usually the role I play - but I don't like this signing. Look at the production of pass rushers post 33yo. Von Miller is still a great player but the decline is inevitable. And then there's the opportunity cost. What players will we pass up because so much money is tied up in Von? That's my worry. But, as others have pointed out, the devil is in the (contract) details. If VM averages 10 sacks for the next few years and the real deal is 4 years at 17mill/year.... maybe Von is almost worth his price.

Some folks wonder why we're signing another average RB when we have enough average RBs of our own. But like some others, I see this differently. We're adding an underneath threat to a team that needs an underneath threat. Defenses like to go into a shell against us. We need to be able to nickel-and-dime teams when the deeper stuff is well-covered by 5/6 DBs. JD's is another weapon in the arsenal that we can pull out to add stress to the opposing defense. But please note that when I call JD a "weapon," I'm not talking big artillery like a Thurman Thomas. He's a small caliber weapon - but still very useful in the certain situations.

Didn't he make the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career last year?

Not just the NFL... It's business. You use all the leverage you have to get the result you want.