richNjoisy

Chris Brown - a resource or simply reporting on OUR OWN speculations? SEE: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=5981 about 2/3's down

Bills | Edwards adds muscle Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:25:55 -0700 Chris Brown, of BuffaloBills.com, reports Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards has added 10 pounds of lean muscle to his frame since the end of last season. Edwards has shown up to the team's voluntary offseason conditioning workouts noticeably bigger and stronger in his upper body. He credits strength and conditioning coordinator J.T. Allaire's offseason program as the reason for helping him build up his upper body.

Last year, as I recall, they moved the show up to Noon (which I thought was rather silly - too early to go home and watch). 4:30 would be great for me! We shall see....

www.bengals.com is stating the following: "The 2008 regular season schedule is expected to be released by the NFL the week of April 14."

Duh, I can't read it seems - sorry the link was talking about last year. They even got that wrong.

The past 4 years, the NFL has released the schedule on April 5 (2007), April 6 (2006), April 13 (2005), and April 12 (2004). It always was settled after the Owners meeting and the date of the release was announced about 1 week or more before its actual release. One would think there is some problem - I assume with one or more of the networks. NFL Gridiron "gab" is now stating the schedule will be released April 10th Link: http://www.nflgridirongab.com/2008/03/08/2...ased-april-3rd/ They are already 0-1 this year let's see if anyone else reports that this is indeed the date of the release of the schedule. As of right this second, the NFL Access channel has nothing indicating that the release will be broadcast on this date. -rgg

Well, I found someone else who claims to have heard the same report from the NFL Network: http://www.raiderfans.net/forum/oakland-ra...eek-4-15-a.html

Ryan Clady OT | (6'6", 317, 5.15) | BOISE STATE could be sitting there at pick 11. don't pop a gasket if the Bills pick him. I won't. IMO, you can never have too many big bodies on EITHER side of the ball.

I see what you are saying but are not the other team needs relevant when a team evaluates the "value" of a player? In other words, I am sure you will agree that what a team pays a player is largely based on position and where they are drafted. Thus, a number 11 pick is worth X and the position they play makes their contract worth X + Y. If the Bills value a player higher than other teams but know that other teams do not value that player the same way then they will slide that player down since other team's "value" boards impact where a player will be drafted. There is always opinion, need, and guesswork involved (and hence risk of losing a player to another team) but this does play a part. Now you are saying the Bills may likely rank a WR or two higher than other teams will - not only due to need but based on their own evaluation of a player's talent. I agree this is quite possible. But if they are pretty certain (relatively) that player will be there, say, 10 picks later, due to other teams' needs, then they HAVE to weight that in their decision. Does this mean they might draft a player that they have ranked LOWER in the hopes of trading up later to nab the "higher value" player (on the Bills charts)? Why not?. It is part of the draft process - knowing not only how good each player is but also how other teams value each player. it is funny, but this is how I run my fantasy drafts - knowing not only which players are good but also how other owners value players. -RnJ

LB - that is true. I should have included that position. We are talking, here, about one player: Keith Rivers. He is slotted for between 10-15 or so. At CB - there are McKelvin, Jenkins, Cromartie (who is skyrocketing up team draft boards). The "Longs" (OT and DE) will be gone. As will Dorsey & Ellis (DT's) and Ghoston (DE). Also gone will be QB Ryan and RB McFadden. I EXPECT McKelvin to be gone (Patsies) but they may go with a DT. If McKelvin is there, the drooling will begin. Good situation to trade down OR pick. -RnJ

I hesitate to respond so briefly after you put so much thought into your post, but it still seems to me this draft comes down to two factors: 1.) The Bills biggest need is at WR but no WR is worthy of the #11 pick. Same goes for TE. 2.) If the Bills can find a willing trade partner who wil give value for the 11th pick, the Bills must trade down OR they must draft the best player on the board at that time. If they go for best player available, that will be a a DT, DE, OT or a CB. Right? Most likely an OT or a CB. I can live with more depth at either position. I prefer the trade down which means the Bills can draft WR's and hopefully hit on one who can help us THIS year. Several posters have shown how many flops at the WR position there have been over the years. Overall, I expect this to be a boring draft since you can't be sure if you have a "hit" for quite awhile. -RnJ

he's free - he was undrafted. Carr is a non-compensation restricted free agent, so any team that signs him will not owe the Raiders a draft pick. (Yahoo! Sports)

I THINK the only issue is when the Bills will go WR and how many times. At 11, that is projected to be too soon for the top ranked WR. So, do the Bills still draft one if they cannot trade down? Or do they take the more appropriately ranked (best player available) at CB, DE, DT, or OT? Next, do the Bills wait until pick 41 or trade up to nab the WR they desire?

you are correct. I have watched this guy play for years - I WANTED to put him in the Randy Moss/Terrell Owens mold. But I couldn't. Yes, he is "out there" at times but, unlike Moss and Owens, his outbursts are either MEANT to be funny (and often are) or are the result of BAD TEAM PLAY. He wants to play on a team that plays well, executes, and has a chance to win. He knows he is a very good receiver and that to play on a continually underperforming team is a waste. Let's face it, the Bengals have been a joke for years - constantly having players in trouble with the law and/or the league. I'd want out too. Chad is a great receiver and whomever gets him - if he becomes available - will hit the jackpot. The only asterisk I have is that he HAS been getting hurt lately.

This guy is also coming off an ACL injury last year. if I were a raider fan (God forbid) I would be ripping my hair out. I guess they are trying the be the NFL's version of the NY Knicks. Woo hoo! We play the raiders this year!!!

It is ironic that the Bills - for their needs - have TOO HIGH a pick (pick 11). Unless a trade is worked out , however, I just cannot see the Bills not drafting a WR in round 1. If a trade partner can be found, then the Bills will trade down. There has never been a more obvious year to do this. If the Bills stay at #11, they simply will have to draft a WR. Yes, a CB is still a need but not a glaring need. Due to last year's incredible injuries in the secondary, the Bills were forced to throw player after player into the front lines. The result? On the field training and the Bills now have a very good idea as to what they have. That information plus the overhaul of the defensive line (Stroud! and Johnson) and the return of Poz and the addition of Mitchell means less pressure on the CB's as the run game will be much improved and opponent offenses will face more frequent 3rd and longs. A CB is still needed but he can be drafted later and nursed more slowly. Now, it is true that most rookie WR's are not very productive. But there have been exceptions (Fitzgerald, Boldin, Colston, Cal Johnson to name a few rcent ones). Peerless Price was actually pretty decent his rookie year many moons ago. The role of a rookie wide receiver on the Bills will be to stretch the defense (so he needs to be fast) and he needs soft hands (he needs to be able to catch the Fade in particular). Over the middle, we still have Reed and Parrish so there is no need to put the kid into the middle of the short field. But the Bills HAVE to make it less attractive to double and triple team Evans. So, if the Bills cannot trade down or (pick up a veteran and a later pick in a trade), they will simply have to overreach for the best WR on the board at pick 11. I am terrified of Malcolm Kelly. He has not run yet and probably for a good reason - PLUS he already has had reconstructive surgery on his left knee. I think the Bills will go for Sweed, Manningham Hardy or Jackson. The Bills need a trade partner!

Nope - that would actually not fit the Raider mold. Trading for Chad would be a GOOD thing. Why do that?

I agree with you that he is a great WR but look at the situation realistically - the bengals are in no position to demand let alone receive a 1st rnder for him. They will be lucky to get a 2nd. If I were the Bills, I would get involved in the deals being discussed. I would offer a 4th and a conditional pick in 2009. Then, if the Bengals bite, I'd say "wait a minute" and talk to Chad about a contract extension. The Bills also need to get serious in their contract talks with lee Evans.

also, from kffl Bills | Team has showed interest in R. Davis Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:13:17 -0700 Vaughn McClure, of the Chicago Tribune, reports the Buffalo Bills have shown interest in restricted free-agent WR Rashied Davis (Bears).

Redskins | Hackett reportedly turns down offer Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:15:49 -0700 The NFL Network reports free-agent WR D.J. Hackett (Seahawks) reportedly turned down a contract offer from the Washington Redskins.

The age-old problem with a trade is finding the right partner. Ideally, the Bills would like to trade down only 3-6 slots to assure themselves of one of the top 1-3 WR's. A trade down from pick 11 to, say pick 16 is worth about a 3rd. To pick 18 is a 3rd and 4th. If someone dangles a decent player too at a desired position (CB or WR), then the pick charge can be lowered. Of course, there would then be the issue of cap hit(s) etc for each team. I, too, would like the see the Bills trade down since the top WR's are rated to go starting around pick 15. Top CB's, on the other hand, should start going around picks 6-8. At pick 11, we are probably looking at, at best, the 3rd best CB. I see no reason to trade up this year in round 1 unless the top CB is knocking their socks off. Will Malcolm Kelly ever run a 40? Without one, I can't see the Bills risking drafting him at pick 11. -RnJ

You are really oversimplifying his response - to your own detriment since it is upsetting you. Marv did not "shout" anything close to that. What he did say is that the answer to the question is not a simple "yes" or "no" which means exactly that. Thus, IF the Bills were to give up their 1st this year then a number of things have to happen - not only a pre agreement on an acceptable deal with Turner - but also players of interest for the Bils not on the draftboard at pick 12 and players of interest ON the draftboard for the Chargers. Plus, there will undoubtedly be other compensation to the Bills (such as the Chargers 1st or the chargers 2nd etc etc)/ The list is long of possibilities. Informing the media of this would simply help other potential trade partners (Tennesee). Therefore, it would be FOOLISH for Marv to answer the question. relax, man. Marv is a pretty savvy guy. and his 1st draft was , arguably, one of the best in Bills history.

Here's a link I found: http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/sto...19/daily19.html

Here is how Rick Gosselin's 2006 mock draft looked - he seems to be one of the most accurate guys out there: http://forum.signonsandiego.com/archive/in...hp/t-60251.html Now, here is his latest 2007 mock: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ft.2dc3375.html

I have been following this a bit over theyear's and one guy DOES seem to get it better than the others. Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning Times. He whipped Mel again last year. Here's a report from the Pittsburgh tribune (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_450235.html): Mel Kiper Jr. might be the self-proclaimed guru of the NFL draft, but he has nothing on Rick Gosselin and Clark Judge. Gosselin, of the Dallas Morning News, and Judge, of CBS Sportsline.com, easily outscored Kiper in mock draft predictions for the first round of last Saturday's draft. Gosselin and Judge had the highest scores among national prognosticators, according to an informal study conducted this week by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Credit was given if the expert had the player going to the correct NFL team -- even if that team's draft slot changed because of a trade. Gosselin correctly identified 15 of the 32 first-round selections, including nine of the first 10. He even predicted that Santonio Holmes would fall into the Steelers' lap, although Gosselin didn't take into account that the Steelers would trade up to the 25th pick in order to get the Ohio State wide receiver. Judge was next with 13 correct submissions. He hit six of his first seven picks and nine of the top 13. However, he erred when he had the Steelers picking Miami wide receiver Sinorice Moss with the final pick of the round. Kiper? He had only seven picks identified, although to be fair his mock draft was submitted two days before the Houston Texans decided to make North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams the No. 1 overall selection. And Kiper did have USC quarterback Matt Leinart falling to Arizona with the 10th pick. Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline.com ranked third on our list with 10 correct predictions in his mock draft. Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated should be awarded an asterisk next to his score of eight. Dr. Z admittedly was at a disadvantage because he had to submit his picks to the magazine a week before the newspaper/online pickers made their selections. Being affiliated with the league apparently didn't result in NFL.com experts Vic Carucci and Pat Kirwan acquiring too much inside information. Carucci had just five correct picks, misfiring on 26 of his final 28 picks. Kirwan had only four right after whiffing on his first 18 selections. It also was a long day in the war room for Tribune-Review columnist Mike Prisuta, who correctly identified just five of the 32 selections in his mock draft. ****************************** Here's the link to Gosselin's latest mock - he has us taking Lynch: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ft.2dc3375.html