#34fan

Did you know that many famous mobsters were buried in Orange, and Herkimer counties? -HA! -Neither does the FBI! Just kidding. But seriously, a team assuming even a small part of the Sicillian mafia's fearsome persona, is nothing to take lightly. Say what you want about those old-world families, they stuck to their convictions and they got things done. Sadly, some of them wound up incarcerated on other -um, convictions, but that was part of the code. You took your lumps and you kept your mouth shut. If anything in today's NFL is reminiscent of La Cosa Nostra, it would be the New Orleans Saint's Bounty scandal. Complete with paid hits, stoolies, and high-level members who get THE BOOK thrown at them by the authorities. Sure, they both were at the top for a while, but then it all came crashing down, didn't it? That, more than anything else makes me question using organized crime references as an impetus to on-the-field success. That said, If we're 8-2 in November. "LOOK MA! TOP OF THE WORLD!" banners should be everywhere at the Ralph. Then and only then will the world be able to apreciate "this little thing of ours."

Aw Come on. No one wants to put a few strippers through cosmetology school?

Since Brady is gonna be getting hammered, How about the Bradykillers (Ladykillers) or the Tommy-knockers, since they'll be knocking him on his A$$ quite often.

Oh No. -Lindley? Noodle-armed, Poor decision maker, Slower than cold molasses, Inaccurate, Immobile, can't anticipate pressure... I'll just stop there. Doc, you couldn't have picked a worse pro prospect to show interest in. At 6'4" 229, The only thing Lindley has is the "ideal" (and I hate this phrase) size for an NFL QB. Trust me, that's where the similarities end. IMO, the best pro prospect on SDSU's roster is a linebacker named Miles Burris. Kid epitomizes toughness, and relentlessness. He's better suited as a 3-4 OLB, but at 6'2", 246 seems on the small side. Burris has decent Speed (4.67 40), and just knows how to blow up plays. Not certain where he fits in schemewise. but he could develop into a nasty little weapon for Wanny's Arsenal. Have a look. It's a year old, but Burris had a good 2011 Oh, and do yourself a favor, -forget about Lindley. IMO, he's not a pro prospect.

OK. -But make him PROMISE not to bring back testaverde.

Actually Brandt says that he imagines that Matthews is now a 2nd round pick. As the draft gets closer, NFL teams will start zeroing in on their needs. -Tipping their hands, if you will. I think productive, draftable, players that went largely unoticed during the NCAA season will start popping up on radars. -Especially if they have strong pro days. That's my opinion as an outsider. This draft seems chock-full of stud recievers. So, In Matthews's case, I'll stick with my original projection of mid-third round to early 4th.

Instant Classic.

This is what it's all about. If you can't get first downs, you can't score. Put Wilson on the field with the weapons we already have, and you've created a whole new set of problems for opposing defenses.

Screens only. Anything else is just asking for trouble. Like Rob said, he dropped a few last year. More disturbingly, he was overthrown by Fitz a few times as well. -Doesn't seem to be much chemistry with those two as far as the passing game is concerned. IMO, we'd do better to maximize production from the guys who are actually paid to catch the ball. I'd feel better if CJ were focused on burrowing into opposing secondaries.

I should have been a bit clearer on where Wilson should be taken by the Bills. IMO, after round 3, he is the BPA, and certainly the best all-around athlete avilable. I don't see him ending up in rounds 6 or 7. If he does end up as a UDFA, I'll consider it a travesty given his exceptional body of work. Still, good things happen to UDFA's sometimes too. If Russell is invited to someone's camp, and has the chance to make an impression on pro OC's, I would expect weaker starting QB's, and questionable backups to be looking over their shoulders.

FOUR INCHES, and Wisconsin's Russell Wilson is a top QB prospect in the 2012 Draft. It's a bold statement, but when you consider the facts, it's true. Russell was the nation's most efficient college QB in 2011! With a 191.78 QB rating, he blew away his nearest competitor from a pro-style offense. -A young fellow by the name of Andrew Luck. In fairness, however, Numbers CAN lie. Not often by direct misrepresentation of the truth, but rather, by omission. Numbers read simply as evidence, without regard for context, can say whatever you want them to say. So let's get a better picture of the person that is Russell Wilson. A task which, ironically, requires the consideration of more numbers. For instance, at 5'10" 5/8" Wilson isn't the size GM's look for in an NFL QB. Average size among the NFL's **elite passers is 6'3". Average size of an NFL tackle is between 6'4" and 6'7" That measurement alone should put Wilson at a disadvantage from a field-vision standpoint. Not only does a pro QB need to see over these goliaths, he also needs to accurately pass over them. A problem you say? Not for Wilson. The height of his Wisconsin O-line averaged a little over 6'6", yet he threw for over 3100 yards with a 72.8 completion percentage. A fluke? Not quite. You see Wisconsin wasn't Wilson's first rodeo. Before transferring to Madison, Russell already had an outstanding career, at NC State. Between the 2009 and 2010 seasons he racked up 6,590 passing yards with 59 touchdowns, versus 25 INT's. He would leave the school with the NCAA record for most consecutive passes without an interception, as well as the record for most consecutive 300+ yard passing games. (2nd only to Phillip Rivers) In addition to terrorizing his opponents from the air, Wilson also rushed for an impressive 15 touchdowns between the 2010, and 2011 seasons. It's an insane amount of production by any standard, but still, -Folks can lean too much on college numbers. So how did his combine look? Here's a portion of the breakdown from NFLdraftscout.com 03/08/2012 - Each of Russell Wilson's passes was completed with laser-like precision - pass after pass after pass - 63 passes in all during his throwing session Wednesday at Pro Timing Day in the McClain Center. Wilson completed passes rolling to his right, rolling left and dropping back in the pocket. "A couple of the guys (scouts) made reference after Russell hit two or three of those deep balls that they would have stopped the workout - there was no reason to prove anything else,'' said Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. "I think that he wants to get it out there that he's a very accurate passer.'' Chris Weinke, who worked with Russell at the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Florida had this to say: "This was an opportunity to come out and make a number of different throws - every throw that Russell will be asked to make on Sundays - and to throw the ball with accuracy,'' said Weinke, who's also training Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Texas A & M's Ryan Tannehill. "For him to come out there and make over 60 throws and only miss a couple - and the ones he missed were good throws - proved that not only does he have the arm strength, but he's got great feet and his accuracy is impeccable. "I wanted to make sure in those 60 throws we covered every possible throw. Quite frankly, he did an unbelievable job. To me, he just put on one of the best QB performances I've seen in a long time ... He's one of the most special guys I've ever worked with.'' My conclusion? Numbers can lie about a player. People can lie about a player. However, ALL of the numbers and ALL of the people, simply cannot be lying about Russell Wilson.-Not when they're saying the same thing. Namely, that he is a gifted athlete, a ferocious competitior, and difference-maker on offense. It's been a dozen years since a Quarterback with these qualities has led Bills Nation to the playoffs. If memory serves me right, he wasn't your prototypical NFL height either. ** T. Brady, P. Manning, A. Rodgers, D. Brees, and regretably, I threw in Eli. *STATS COURTESY OF ESPN, CBS SPORTS, AND ROB RANG.

I'd rather wait 'til the 6th round and grab Russell Wilson.

Meh, I'd rather take a flyer on Nick Provo in the fourth. Good hands. Lousy blocker, but that can improve with time and good coaching. Nick made some great catches in the Orangemen's win over WVA last season. He's one I'd definitely keep local.

Apart from late-night visits to her NYC apartment from, you guessed it, Mark Sanchez, She pretty much lives alone. I saw a picture of her with a lipstick-lesbo looking friend, and got carried away. Here's the link -Lets just say I had plans for that Jets jersey.

New Rule: Thirty year-old rookies can't be drafted earlier than round 4. -Weeden looks fine standing behind a good college O-line, and tossing a football to a bunch of speedy 18 year olds, but in the pro's he is likely to be a tree stump. Sitting in a field waiting to get torn-up by professionals who get paid to do that sort of thing. That said, I feel this guy is deserving of the chance to make somebody's roster. -Not ours, but somebody's. At Weeden's age, barring a miracle, he'll have to settle for the title of permanent backup wherever he goes. Carolina gave Weinke a chance at 29, why not Weeden? -I stand a much better chance of banging Kate Upton and her roomate, than Weeden does of beating Cam Newton out of his job. So, to clarify, Weeden has earned the right to be drafted. But not in the 2nd, and certainly not by the Bills. IMO Weeden can have a fulfilling, albeit short, career playing a support role to a team that doesn't really need his support.

I know, I know, Michael Floyd, blah, blah, blah. -Floyd is an awesome talent, no question. However, If you're in the Market for a third round WR bargain, look no further than Rishard Matthews. Forget about the 1364 passing yards he had last season. Ignore the 91 catches, and 8 touchdowns. (a relatively modest amount) At 6' 1" Matthews probably isn't your deep threat reciever, however as a possession guy, there is none better in this draft. It's not so much the amount of catches he makes, it's the TYPE of catches he makes. Having been a primary target for a very raw Colin Kaepernick in 2010, Matthews didn't see too may quality balls thrown his way. Kaepernick throws with tremendous velocity, and great accuracy. However, much like a certain Harvard product we know, Kaepernick's spirals were very rocky, and at times near-uncatchable. It was amazing to see Matthews grab these passes with stunning regularity. Nevada's offense took a big step back in 2011-12, when Kaepernick was replaced by Tyler Lantrip. Lantrip has a weaker arm, and isn't anywhere near as mobile. Matthews didn't miss a beat. All season long he's made amazing catches at critical times. This is what Gil Brandt had to say about Matthew's pro day: Rishard Matthews, WR (6-1 1/2, 209) — "Matthews really blew my socks off. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 and 4.48 seconds, and stayed on his vertical from the combine. He notched a 10-3 broad jump and kept his shuttle, three-cone and bench. He had an outstanding workout. Scouts said it was as good a workout as they’ve seen from a receiver. Matthews caught the ball and got speed. There are lots and lots of receivers in this draft, but Matthews managed to elevate his status with his performance. I would imagine that he’s now a second-round pick". I'm confident Matthews will be there until the mid-third, early 4th. IMO He is a must-have for a QB who has trouble converting 3rd downs.

Drew Stanton. Unless Chan plans on wheeling Fitz out in a wheelchair next time he gets hurt (God forbid) Thigpen isn't the dude, and we need a reliable backup. Plus Fitz will perform better knowing someone who could concievably replace him is sitting on the bench. Stanton still has dreams of starting for an NFL franchise. This would be a great signing IMO.

Mr Ball, Do you agree that the occaisional toxic thread can be beneficial, and/or (dare I say it) FUN, at times? If not, can I recommend a skull and crossbones Icon to be placed on said, contaminated posts? This could ward off gullible clickers like myself and prevent further infection.

This is definitely a "Bills" guy. Months ago, I posted several threads on him, that were scoffed at because he is a guard. The only player that would be better to grab @ 10 IMO would be Michael Floyd. DeCastro is an Excellent Run Blocker. Looks out for his QB. Shorter learning curve because of the offense he comes from. "D-cups" (his Stanford nickname) is one of my favorite players in the draft.

We need a Fan revolt before Roger Goodell ruins this game! Absolute power corrupts abso-f____ing-lutely. GOODELL MUST GO!

When did this happen? Was his contract extended? -Through what year? Last I heard, buddy was still shining Fred on.

Like I said on a previous post, -We're BONED. Bellitricks is using a rich blend of experience and talent to groom the STUD DE's he's going to draft next month. -Guranteed. We shot our load with one DE, and are now FAST ASLEEP. This is not good, people. The worst part is that we still haven't taken care of Fred Jackson. I know, I know, -no rush. But why wouldn't we give our best player peace of mind going into the new season? I really like the Mario signing. Still, watching ALL of our eggs get loaded into his basket makes me a tad uneasy.

Garrard is formidable when healthy. If he comes out firing on all pistons, watch out AFCE! He held his own in a division with both Mario and Peyton before. IMO It'd be foolish to underestimate the guy.

Great idea, if he's available. What's the point in getting a deep threat WR, if your QB can't hit him? With a QB as limited as Fitpatrick is, you can't have enough reliable pairs of hands. This sounds like a great move.

Miami won't go for that. The going rate on Thigpen is a year's supply of Dunkin' Donuts, and a 50$ Wal-Mart gift certificate. Personally, I'd trade his a$$ for a 12-pack and a 200 wing (drumettes only) party platter. Extra celery please.