QCity

If you are a scout, player assessment is an ongoing process that begins well before the season even starts. Your entire week is spent breaking down tape - every single week of the season. There isn't a period after the season ends where scouts say, "Ok, now let's get down to the real analysis" (most of the second-rate drafniks seem to say this). Wild post-season fluctuations are the result of the combine/pro day/workouts, character issues, or the perception of team need. Another thing to note is that CB is probably the most difficult position to assess from a fan's view. Sure, you can see when a CB gets smoked. But are you aware of when a CB blankets a receiver and forces the QB to his 2nd or 3rd option? Can you always tell when a CB flawlessly rolls to zone coverage and forces the QB to take a sack? You literally are taking the draftnik's word. And what percent of draftniks actually put in the work of a scout and study (or even have access to) scouting tapes? I'm sure Kiper/McShay/Mayock do, but what about the thousands of other internet mockers (Peter King, Walter Football, etc, etc)? With all the second rate mocks out there that parrot each other, it's very easy to create an internet upswell for a player.

I'd say the odds of us taking Barron at 10 are about zero. Cornerback? Very possible. Safety??? You people need to step away from the mock drafts for a while...

Monday Night Football is a massive endeavor that takes something like 4 days just to setup. I remember reading a huge article about it - it's absolutely insane what they setup for a single 3 hour football game (far, far beyond what is done for the standard Sunday afternoon game). The Ralph is basically a big concrete rock carved out in the 70s, I can only imagine what a logistical nightmare it must be to wire anything new into it. Anyways, we don't get Primetime games because we have sucked for the past 12 years.

Don't like starting out on the road against the Jest. Was hoping for a home opener against a team like Cleveland heh.

No, they won't support the NFL because they are a fickle fanbase that has better things to do than root for a 4-12 team. And when their franchise goes on a 3-year skid of finishing under .500 (inevitably they will at some point) the stadium will be half empty, and everyone will be left scrambling for the next excuse as to why. The Coliseum excuse is the dating equivalent of "It's not you, it's me." Seriously LA NFL fans, it wasn't you, it was the stadium (both of them apparently).

Little to do with fan support? It had everything to do with fan support. LA fans are fickle and simply won't support a losing NFL team over an extended period. The Rams played their last 15 years in Anaheim Stadium, so the Coliseum excuse won't hold water for them. And that's all it was - an excuse. Interest in the Raiders waned and the fans became indifferent after the honeymoon phase was over. People on this board say that LA can't support a team because history has shown they can't - twice.

3) Jauron 1/2) Regier/Ruff are the slam-dunk champions of this little game /endthread

What are you basing your All Pro guarantee on, the 3 minute YouTube clip or the 3 sentence blurb from Kiper? You're beyond delusional if you think some kid from the Pac-10 is going to step in and perform better than Carl Nicks. When's the last time you heard someone (anyone in the history of football) say "Man, if we only had a right guard we could make a run at the Superbowl"?

Where do people get these crazy ideas?

Less than 20 days away. Here's my opinion - 1) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, 6'3" 192, Alabama - Elite size for the position. An extremely physical player especially at the line of scrimmage. Very solid tackler and has a reputation for being a hard worker. Great instincts make him the best zone coverage corner in the draft, but he is also a solid cover man as well. Was considered a top 10 player until a marijuana arrest raised some suspicions. 2) Bobbie Massie, OT, 6'6" 316, Mississippi - Massive tackle with long arms and quick feet. His eye-popping numbers at the combine highlight his athleticism. He is very effective at corralling speed rushers and is a solid LT prospect. 3) Marvin McNutt, WR, 6'3", 215 Iowa - The best receiver in the Big 10 last season. Great hands and size, very physical. This is the type of WR Buddy was talking about when he said "we need a guy who's open even when he's not open." 4a) Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State 6'0" 240 - Smart player with a nose for the ball and a tackling machine. Prototypical build for a 4-3 OLB. 4b) Nick Foles, QB, 6'5" 240, Arizona - Ideal size, strong arm. Was probably slotted as the #4 QB in the draft and a high 3rd round pick until his disastrous pro day dropped his stock a bit. The Bills draft strategy and why we'll take Kirkpatrick: - Don't buy into all the BPA nonsense. That can be interpreted in many ways, especially if you phrase it as "best player available that helps our team the most" - and that's more along the lines of what Nix means IMO. There's also an old saying that you "build a defense from the lines out." That was true in the run-heavy NFL of the 70s and 80s, but has no weight in today's pass-happy game. QB is the hardest position to fill, followed closely by pass-rushers and cornerbacks - and good luck signing a top CB in free agency unless you have the means to hand out $50M+ contracts. - There's a need. Currently our top 4 CB's consist of an oft-injured aging veteran (McGee), 2 shaky (at best) coverage men (Florence, McKelvin), and a promising 2nd year player that doesn't have a full season under his belt (Williams). Yes, we all know that an improved pass rush will help our CBs, but there is still a glaring need in our secondary. Look for the Bills to draft a second corner later in the draft as well. - Nix has also made no secret of our need for CB's with quotes like "you can never have too many" and "don't be surprised if we draft another one high next year." - Nix also seems high on players from strong conferences like the SEC. - The physical traits of Kirkpatrick make him a tailor made matchup against the two-headed TE monster playing in New England.

Haha so true. I just got an email from a friend that thinks we can start 3-1 if that is the real deal.

Yeah that's true, by where I meant which game is in Toronto.

Those are the teams we play, that's 100% certain as the divisions rotate yearly. The only question is in which order and where do we play them.

I've never heard Buddy say we are drafting BPA regardless of position. And I have no idea why you brought up expert analysis. Teams don't draft guards high because it isn't considered an impact position. Same with safeties. The thinking is you can easily swing a T out to G or a CB to S, but not vice-versa. Now it isn't written in concrete, and occasionally one does get drafted high (Whitner, Berry), but it isn't a smart move. Now here's the irony - this thread is titled "Fans have to start taking Nix at his word", and even includes a quote from Nix reiterating what I just said about tackles/guards, and people still don't get it. It's not like Nix has been lying to us all along.

No, if you really want to take him at his word you will listen to exactly what he said, instead of whatever you make up in your mind. Where do people keep getting this BPA garbage? Is it from Spiller? Also, astute front offices don't draft guards high in the first round (regardless of how well Kiper grades him or what he looks like on Youtube).

Yeah it's official - listed on the Eagles site - 5 years no figures released yet though.

Eagles Insider reports a 5-yr contract. Wow! https://twitter.com/#!/EaglesInsider/status/187561418764206080

Make sure you check under your bed at night too.

Nah, they are complaining about the collar louder over there. Edit: now trying to start a petition against the white collar LOL

$10 million a year for 3 years?? He wants 8 years at $120+ million lol. Mike Wallace told 49ers he wants more than Larry Fitzgerald

I think some fans have this team confused with the Yankees.

Indeed. Indeed.

Well I wasn't ever complaining, nor was I bitching. And I am thrilled with the offseason moves. And the reason I "only want to talk about the one contract" is because this is a thread about that signing. Someone posted updated contract details. I commented that the deal looks better now. Someone else mentioned it doesn't matter what we paid him since we are under the cap. I replied that it does still matter and my opinion was $7M/yr is too much for a situational player. I even said that if he does become an every-down player the deal might be worth it. That's a big IF. I thought that was a very level-headed response. Anyways, it's clear you are more focused on attacking me and I've already said my peace, so I'm bowing out of this thread.

I'm just going to respond to this, because everything else you typed seems to be some sort of bizarre strawman argument. Maybe you need to reread what I wrote, because I have no problem with any of our other offseason moves, and maybe not even this one if those $21M contract details are correct. Anderson was not going to get that money wherever he went, you're delusional if you think so. While it's nice to imagine that he wanted to come here to play on a line with Williams/Dareus/Williams, the simple truth is that he was going to go wherever they paid him the most. He's not trying to boost his stats and cash-in on his next contract when he's 33 (lol). This was his big contract payday, and we offered the most. And let's talk about that year with the Patriots, or should I say a year of situational play under the best defensive coach in the game on a team that often forced other teams into a desperation-passing mode. I hope the guy does do well - I hope he gets 20 sacks next year. But TBH, I think any average DE we put on the end of that line could get 8-9 sacks next year. If you take a level-headed look at the guy's entire career and the situation he was in last year - it's hard not to think we paid just a tad too much for him.

Oh I get it. I get it completely. Do you? We played the "overspend a tad and try to build a winning team that free agents will like in future years" card with Mario. For the record I think that was an excellent signing. I also think you were trying to write "tad", and we will have to disagree on just how much a "tad" is. But we don't have to do that with every player going forward, especially not a situational (or rotational) player. And let's be honest, he was a situational player last season and his rookie season - his 2 most productive years. The 5 years in between when he played every down yielded some pretty bland results. I understand that the fan base is frustrated, but the team still needs to spend wisely. Which teams in the league are notorious for overspending? The Redskins, Raiders, and Cowboys. How far did that get them the last decade?