R. Rich

[Automated Response] We suck. The coaching staff sucks. The players suck. We have no hope of ever winning a championship. Oh woe is me.

No! They must get those guys all in one draft, even if they have to reach for players they value less than players @ other positions. And, they had better check the message boards, so they're sure to draft "our guys".

Two rounds? You mean the draft is longer than one round? No way!

Well, that's better than the "everything and everyone sucks" mantra we've heard far too often. Oh, and I agree. Wait and see.....then "judge".

Wow. Really?

the bills organization giving the fans the choice of flutie or johnson instead of a true long term QB solution.....how many cigs for that? the resulting Mike Nugent mania, where a kicker became the cure to all of the Bills' ailments....cig count? hmm...a NT and a DE for a 3-4 for a team that had no NT and only a couple true solutions @ DE for the scheme is not a "real need"....that's gotte be worth @ least a pack, right?

Okay. Just don't attribute a statement to someone unless the person actually made it. I see you made the correction in your title, so it's all good. No, you're wrong. My comment was toward the original poster's linking the concussion "excuse" to Roethlisberger as if it came from him. Nowhere in that did I condone the guy's actions.

Why should anyone let something so trivial stop the crusade?

Ultimate douchebag? I dunno. He'd have to be in the discussion, but would be way behind names like Ty Cobb, Al Campanis, Adolph Rupp, TMEP, and Leonard Little in my opinion.

Which is why the Bills need to build their team via the draft, begin to do well in the win column, and the McNabbs of the world will take notice and give Buffalo a shot in free agency. Hopefully by then, they'll develop a good enough team that they won't need to sign high priced free agents. That philosophy works for the Stillers, mainly 'cause of how well they continue to draft and develop players. The Bills used their 2nd round pick on a very good 3-4 NT prospect, and their 3rd on arguably the best 3-4 DE prospect in the draft (outside of converted DT Jared Odrick of PENN STATE). That, plus the signings of Dwan Edwards and Andra Davis in free agency show that the organization realizes they needed players who fit the scheme, and they went out and got 'em. Just a guess on my part, but the Bills could've looked @ Bulaga as a RT and didn't want to pay 'em LT money. They also may have decided that Davis wasn't worthy of the 9th overall pick and wasn't a good fit @ LT either. As for a trade down, I profess to not being privy to the war room chatter, so I don't know which teams were offering the Bills what in terms of compensation for the 9th overall pick. I do agree that there were good choices for the 3-4 if they decided to draft that also. My choice would've been to stay there and draft Dan Williams of Tennessee, but that's my choice. The Bills didn't draft "my guy" but instead of bemoaning the fact, I'm okay w/ what they did for the 3-4 front and for getting a real playmaker in Spiller. I am willing to see what this organization does w/ the players they bring in. If we see more of the same, then I'll be ready to rip into 'em too, as I too have been a long suffering fan. For me though, I'm going to wait to see what the results are so that I know if the Bills are heading in the right direction or if they're in "same as it ever was" mode.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought I read that the Bills offered Donovan McNabb, the best QB prospect out there in terms of trades or free agency, a nice contract extension if he were to come to Buffalo via trade? And, didn't he turn 'em down? I think that the Bills are destined to get the same reaction to any good prospect 'til they see some kind of change in how the team is run and in how productive they are. So, they are going to have to build from the ground up via the draft and then start to develop a winning attitute. Yeah, but they didn't get a first round OT, you say? I honestly believe that the possibility of a first round OT disappeared w/ the Redskins' selection of Trent Williams fourth overall. So, the Bills decided to stay true to their board and get the best player available. They would also use high draft picks to stock a woefully understocked defensive front for the 3-4 and landed a talented nose tackle and a talented defensive end. No, it wasn't a franchise QB or a franchise LT, but they did address big needs early in the draft (really, there were more than two needs on this team and, contrary to some opinions, they were NOT a couple players away from contention). This is the beginning of a long term project to correct the misdoings of previous regimes.

Not quite. The act of drinking does not adversely affect the person standing next to the drinker, unlike second hand smoke. That said, a person's actions while drinking can affect others, but I'm not sure that the poster was referring to that. Personally, I don't care for smoking. Never have. But, this is not my world, so I just do my best to live w/ the fact that there are smokers out there. As long as they respect my space (my home, car, etc.), it's all good.

The tailgate @ Sliders (right 'cross the street from Camden Yards), TBD's fourth, is already in the works. Feel free to show up if you'd like. Good advice. That's just Beerball being funny. I'll be entirely too busy to be angry 'bout who shows or who doesn't. Our tailgates get 80-100 folks easy, and we'll be going for even more this time out.

132 days and counting!!!!

Yeah, but they didn't take one of "their guys".

How telling.

No, I say I hold off on judging the organization 'til we see how these drafts picks and free agency moves impact the Bills in the win column. I try to counter the folks who immediately fly off the handle 'cause the Bills don't go out and sign 88 free agents or trade away the next 2 drafts in order to move up and get (name of player they love this week here). As for the picks, I merely point out the good things I have seen or read 'bout these guys to eliminate the whole "Who?" and "why did the Bills draft ____" type responses. I figure people can fish through various other threads to read 'bout how these guys "suck".

I organize a tailgate for TBD for every Bills game in Baltimore. This will be our 4th one (one pre-season game, and this will be the 3rd regular season game). We have it @ a place that is a short walk away from M&T Bank Stadium (I have a pretty good relationship w/ the owner) and we usually get 'tween 80-100 crazy Bills fans to attend. This year, I hope to get even more participation from the Buffalo Bills (they've donated some stuff to give out in the past), so that we can make it an even better experience.

First off, thanks again to LancasterSteve and his lovely wife for opening their home to me for the weekend. This is the 7th time in the last 8 years we've done this and I enjoy hanging w/ you guys more than words can say. Your place has become another home away from home for me, and for that I cannot thank you enough. It was also nice to get to hang w/ my other draft compadre, MarkVI. Not only for the breakfast pizza, but also for the excellent draft discussion. We usually have similar views on the draft prospects, and when we don't, it's always nice to get another view that can only make you more informed on the players. Lori, sorry I missed you on Friday. We'll have to catch up on stuff @ the opener, I 'spose. You know I look forward to our little summit meetings w/ you and Badolbilz (and William...IF he chooses the right game to attend!). Now, as for the draft party @ the fieldhouse.....I was not impressed. Setting up big screen TVs in front of a bunch of fold-up chairs, where you're too close to the screens and they look grainy? Bad move. Please move it back to the Jim Kelly club...where it belongs. On to the Bills' draft picks. ROUND 1: C.J. Spiller, RB Clemson I admit I was a bit hesitant @ first, but then I realized that the Bills must have really only liked a couple of the OT prospects w/ 1st round grades, and they were gone. When Williams went to Washington 4th overall, Mark and I pretty much figured there wasn't going to be an OT taken. Unless Okung would've fallen past Seattle. Yeah, right. Spiller is a game changer; a guy teams will have to account for whether he's lined up in the backfield, split out wide, put in the slot (Jackson as the feature back, w/ Spiller in motion to the slot could really screw up defensive fronts ready to just stack the line and plug up the rush lanes), or even as a return guy on special teams. The Bills can employ a pretty strong two back system (I'm figuring Marshawn Lynch to be outta here) that can only help matters. I think Spiller has the potential to really impress people. ROUND 2: Torrell Troup, DT Central Florida If the rumors are true, then the Bills were trying to move back into the first round to get a guy I really would've loved to see the Bills grab: Tennessee DT Dan Williams. Well, Arizona put a stop to that. Ah well. What the Bills did was get a guy who is also stout and can also add a bit of a push in terms of interior rush. Oh yeah, and he's been known to get in for some negative plays too:5 tackles for loss and a couple sacks from the DT position is good when you're not playing a gap penetrating scheme like Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma. This guy is known for leaving it all out on the field from the effort standpoint, which I'm sure had something to do w/ the Bills selecting him over Terrence Cody, even though he's bigger and folks, "have heard of 'em". ROUND 3: Alex Carrington, DE Arkansas State This is one of my favorite picks the Bills made in this draft. Of the DEs rated ahead of Carrington, I think only Northwestern's Corey Wootton is as good a 3-4 DE prospect. This guy has good size and excellent strength, so he should help to minimize the damage the running game does. 'Tween Troup and Carrington, the Bills shouldn't be nearly as sorry against the run. Of course, the key will be how the ILBs hold up, but I do believe this guy will hold his own as a 3-4 DE and upgrade the run defense. Not much of a pass rusher, but hopefully the OLBs will provide that rush for the Bills. Yeah, yeah, I know Bruuuuuce was a tremendous rusher as a 3-4 end, but he's the exception folks, NOT the rule. For a team that gave up nearly 5 yards per rush last year, this guy is just what the doctor ordered. ROUND 4: Marcus Easley, WR Connecticut I admit I'm not very familiar w/ this prospect, so I can only go by what I've read up on 'em. But, what's not to like? Good size (6-2, 213), good hands, good body control, and, perhaps most importantly, a good blocker! Average speed (4.4), but I don't know if they drafted Easley to be some kind of a burner. If he can provide solid blocking and be a dependable possession receiver, then they got a very good player here. ROUND 5: Ed Wang, OT Virginia Tech I really like this guy as a developmental prospect. He could be a swing tackle (G/T) that can help as a backup. He does need coaching in terms of hand placement and keeping low, plus he could add a bit of bulk to anchor better in pass protection, but he's a good enough athlete (former TE, kinda like Houston Texan Eric Winston though not nearly as polished) that he can be used as a backup who may develop into more w/ time and coaching. ROUND 6a: Arthur Moats, LB James Madison He's an intriguing small school prospect as he has great speed, is strong, and is very aggressive. Works for me. As I mentioned to a few folks, if he can stop the annoying instances when after the Bills score, they give up huge kick returns and set the opponent up for a socre of their own, then I am fine w/ this pick. Plus, it's a LB that isn't 228 lbs.......NICE!!! I would hope he'll be an immediate contributor on special teams (coverage units in particular) and can maybe develop into a backup ILB or a rotational player. ROUND 6b: Danny Batten, LB South Dakota State Another "tweener" (DE in college) who seems to be a good fit as a 3-4 'backer. Good. Like Moats, this guy gives a great effort and will find the ball. Plus, he can rush the passer and appears to have the athleticism to drop back into coverage when necessary. Kinda sounds like a more athletic version of South Florida's George Selvie. While Selvie is very quick off the snap and goes hard after the QB, he's not a guy who can react to the passing game as a dropback LB. If this guy can make a seamless transition to the OLB spot, then the Bills got a steal here. ROUND 7a: Levi Brown, QB Troy Brown should be a good developmental player and a good value in the 7th. A guy w/ good size (6-3, 230) and a strong arm, he also has good accuracy in the short game. Now, he still needs to work on his long ball in terms of accuracy, but the tools are there; he just needs to be coached up. Well, good thing for us that Chan Gailey has done well w/ developing QBs in the past. If Brown can be refined by Gailey, this guy could really be one of the steals of the draft. ROUND 7b: Kyle Calloway, OT Iowa Geez, how could I have forgotten 'bout Calloway? This guy is a Bill from NYC special: he's got good size (6-6, 323lbs), is tough, and is nasty! William, this guy could be considered a poor man's Jeremy Trueblood: how do ya like that? Like many big guys w/ height, he needs to lower his pad level and he could use a tutoring from Tunch Ilkin, he of the "Tunch Punch" that so many O linemen have emulated over the years. Overall, I think he's going to be a solid right tackle either as a backup or as a guy who eventually develops into a starter (my hope). So, how did they do? I’m really not one to give letter grades to a draft, especially since none of these guys have played a down of NFL football yet, but I will offer my take on what went down last weekend. Well, I hear they didn’t get a “franchise” left tackle or quarterback. That is true. When the Redskins took Trent Williams fourth overall, that pretty much took the Bills out of the LT sweepstakes, barring Okung falling to ‘em @ 9. I am glad that they didn’t try to move up and lose valuable picks to go after Okung and I’m glad they didn’t reach for players that it appears the Bills simply did not like (Clausen, Bulaga) as a fit for their team. They took Spiller, and he is an explosive weapon. Now, they have to work to getting more out of what they have from people such as James Hardy, Demetrius Bell, Aaron Maybin, and the new additions via the draft. Coach ‘em up and get ‘em ready to play. I think this coaching staff can do this, but it remains to be seen. We’ve been here before, haven’t we Bills fans? You know, where we’ve put faith in the coaches to get guys ready and they simply could not get it done. Now, it’s Gailey’s turn. Soon we’ll know whether this crew can get these guys together and working as a team or if it’s going to be more of the same. But, ‘til I see some sort of evidence either way, I’m going to hold off on judging ‘em. It’s far too easy to go into, “everything sucks” mode and there’s plenty of excuses for doing so. The Bills haven’t won in years. Ralph Wilson is too cheap. The coaching staffs have been awful. The Bills don’t draft “my guys” (a way more popular excuse than people will admit to). And so on and so on. I won’t do that, as I said, ‘til I see where the Bills are headed. Hopefully, none of that will even be necessary…..’cause I sure am tired of hearing and reading it.

Done. We outta heeyah!

Last call for mock GMs. If nobody shows, we'll shut it down and make it just a one round draft.

Hello? Anyone home? If not, I'll just shut it down. Work is just crazy today anyways and I am not able to monitor things as I'd like to.

All participants be ready: only 5 minutes per pick today.

Sorry for the late start, folks. Work issues. Man, I can't wait 'til tomorrow.

Sorry folks! Work is RIDICULOUS today, so I couldn't get a moment to jump start this 'til now. Since we can't find enough people to continue, I'm going to shut this down. Thanks for participating in Round 1; sorry we can't get the other two rounds going, but this is a crazy day @ work and there doesn't seem to be enough folks 'round here to make it worthwhile. Enjoy the real draft tomorrow. I know I will.