Mickey

I don't think there is a WR or a TE in this draft that would be much of a contributor in their first year.

He didn't beat a baby, he roughed up the girlfriend in the kids presence during an argument with her. The charges were dropped and they don't do that to a guy who "beat up a 1 year old". Moss was in a racially motivated fight that cost him his scholarship to Notre Dame. Charges weren't dropped as they were against Hardy, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Then he tested positive for drugs while in jail leading to a stint in solitary and a jail sentence of 90 days. That cost him his scholarship to Florida State. Four months out of jail and he was arrested for domestic abuse to an ex-girlfriend when he dropped his daughter off at her house. Sound familiar? Oh yeah, the charges were dropped. Then there was the incident where he bumped a cop with his car and knocked her to the ground. Pot found in his car, etc. No question that any team thinking about Hardy needs to think long and hard and to do their homework. He is definitely worth a look though.

The one year old started it.

"...probably available a their next pick..." is a really big probably. Usually, when someone is complaining about a pick the team makes, that is the first justification off the shelf, "but so and so would have been there in the next round." I always thought that was a very weak criticism because there is just no way, despite what Mel Kiper might say to the contrary, that you can be sure that pick would be there in the next round.

I can't blame you for that opinion but when you pass on a guy like that, you give up the idea of benefitting from the guy turning his life around. Look at Randy Moss. I wouldn't automatically pass on him but I would want to be very sure, as sure as you can be with this sort of thing, that he has put that kind of garbage behind him. If we do pass on a WR in Rd. 1 which seems to be a popular sentiment at this point, Hardy is probably going to be the best guy still on the board in Rd. 2 though we might have to nudge up a bit to get him, something Modrak has done repeatedly in the past with JP, Denney, McCargo and Poz. As I recall, it took a bit of work to get Moulds on the straight and narrow but once he started acting like a pro off the filed and in training, he turned out OK.

Watching those clips, I am reminded of just how good our offensive lines were back then. They were very much underated. We had so many stars on offense and along with the no-huddle gimmick, people didn't give the credit to that line that they deserved. There is one play on that clip where Richter and a TE are about 25 yards downfield where the two of them corralled 1/2 the secondary to one side so far that they eventually knocked them out of bounds and they were still nailing them in front of the bench. Thurman comes running up the middle and he starts looking around and there isn't a soul left in the secondary to chase him, you can see him slow up and practically coast in from the 10 or so. Contrast that with Lynch having to break 3 tackles to get a yard and half behind our improved offensive line. I think it has been so long that we have forgotten what a good line looks like.

Chandler is one of my all time favorite Buffalo Bills. Best hands I ever saw. Blocked for OJ too. Got his autograph during a preseason practice once. Wasn't he intrumental in the Raiders getting to and winning a SB under Jim Plunkett?

Competence trumps continuity every time. This was the worst offense in the history of the franchise so it is just possible the line could be better and I think Fowler is the weakest player on the line.

I like your optimism but I am not sure we are going to go from the worst offense in the history of the franchise to one which "knows no limits" because our QB, master of the check down though he may be, has a little more experience. We will be better this year than last but we have a long way to go.

McGee, Peters and Moorman. They are each in the top 5 in the league at their positions though with McGee it is as a KR. Marshawn and Evans are in that neighborhood but not they aren't quite that good yet.

I think you are assuming that our major criteria here at #11 is a player that will be a star in his rookie year. If the WR is a future pro bowler, are we going to pass because he won't be a star for a year or two? I don't see the Bills as being on the precipice of greatness this season, needing just one or two instant contributors to put us over the edge. This is particularly true with the offense. It was the worst in the history of the franchise last year despite the lack of significant injuries on that side of the ball apart from the QB's. We aren't going to turn that offense totally around in one year, it is going to take some time so I have no problem investing in a future star at WR.

8, I missed the one on the daylight hours in september

That would be the Tennessee game where Evans took a pitch from JP and hit Royal in the endzone and he somehow managed to practially leap out of bounds costing us a TD? The one where that final drive was into a wicked wind so bad we couldn't even consider kicking FG's from any appreciable distance? That would be the same game the defense gave up 10 points in the 4th quarter including a seven minute drive for the go ahead FG. The offense put up 29 points, it would have been 33 if not for Royal's screw up. He moved us on our last poss. to the Titan 28 yard line which was still too far for a FG given the wind conditions. It was 4th down when he was intercepted in the endzone, he had narrowly avoided a sack before he threw it. We still had 41 seconds left on the clock so his time management wasn't a problem at all. JP had some stinker games, for sure, more than his share even but not that one. Hang that one on Royal.

I was never happy over the way they handed the job to JP either. I don't think they did him any favors by making him the starter after he spent a year hobbling around with a clip board on the sidelines. That and the awful coaching staff he worked with doomed him that first year as the starter. I think he came along pretty well the year after that. Last year we had the worst offense in the history of the franchise and JP had a hand in that, as did Trent by the way. That is why I am not very excited over Trent nor am I beating a drum to give JP another chance. It is best for all concerned that he try his luck elsewhere but I don't know if we can afford to lose him until we get a plan B guy on the roster. We are starting an unproven rookie who has spent a large chunk of his college and pro career riding the pine due to injuries. It would be ludicrous for us not to give some serious consideration to having a good back up. Until we have one, JP will have to serve that role. Trent is "the guy" but only for as long as his play on the field justifies it. As for JP, it costs his fans and his detractors nothing to wish him well at this point to acknowledge the obvious, that he is a class act. The thought that keeps me up at night: Worst offense in the history of the franchise. Offensive FA upgrades = 0 Hmmm..... Upon what are we to pin our hopes on that the offense will improve enough for us to be a playoff team? I know that a good defense can cover a multitude of offensive sins but we aren't talking about a mediocre offense, a sputtering offense or even an inconsistent one. We are talking about the worst offense in the history of a franchise that has produced some legendarily bad offenses. Am I the only one who recalls the misery of the late 60s, the mid to late 70's and the mid 80's?

the pick he threw in the red zone cost us the dallas game

I think our inability to stop the run was rivaled only by how truly awful our secondary was, though clearly injuries played a major role in that outcome. The New England game at home illustrated just how weak we were in the backfield (5 TD passes). I think we ended up 29th against the pass by the end of the year. Webster and Thomas were so good that despite our lack of depth, we didn't sign either of them. Based on my recollection of Webster's play in the preseason, Greer was a likely upgrade. Getting Ko back will help and so will a better pass rush, if that in fact happens. We need a CB, plain and simple. I know Youboty is young and hasn't had much playing time but I am not willing to ignore his lack of performance so far. If ever a young corner had an opprotunity to become a starter earlier in his career than expected, the Bills were it last year. We lose the top guy to free agency and the journey man replacement lays an egg in preseason. I am not at all encouraged by his inability to take advantage of that opportunity last year. There have been plenty of CB's that didn't work out until their 3rd year but plenty more made an impact in their frist year (Clements) or their second (Winfield). I wouldn't be shocked at all to see him let go if he doesn't show some sign of improvment though I agree, he probably isn't on a short leash just yet. If the only thing keeping him on the roster is a lack of depth, his days are numbered. I think we are taking a corner at some point in the first three rounds. This is a make or break year for him and if he leaves the door open for another Greer in training camp, he might not even make it to the regular season. Unlikely but then, I would have thought he would have been able to keep Greer on the bench last year.

If this guy is the real deal and he is there at 11, you take him and don't look back. Top DE's are tough to find, there are lots of good WR's in every draft. The fact that we have some overpaid, underperforming guys on the roster at that position is all the more reason to get a guy like this to fix that problem. A DE that demands double teams and has to be targeted by the offense on every play is a huge advantage for a defense. With Poz, Mitchell, McCargo and Stroud roaming the field, imagine what a night mare it would be for the other side if we added a playmaking DE like this fella. Of course, "if" he is the real deal is a big "if".

I think he already apologized for hitting her and has said he is going to take anger management classes. No, he hasn't been convicted but even he isn't claiming innocence.

It is a good thought, no doubt, I just don't think we will have much of an opportunity to trade down. Every year the board is inundated with trade down scenarios but hardly any involving a trade up which reflects the reality that there are always more teams looking to trade down than there are teams looking to trade up. So it is fun to speculate and yours makes as much sense as anyone elses. My top priority is TE, Trent has trouble going downfield sometimes so lets give him some top talent for those check downs he is so good at. For my money, lets see who drops at WR in the second and maybe take a late round flier on a sleeper, maybe Taj Smith from Syracuse, a real playmaker whose college career was hampered by having to play on an offense that was pathetic beyond words. And yes, we gotta have a corner and please God, find a decent prospect somewhere at center.

Oh the humanity

What is the comparison for their pro day times? I think Willis ran a sub 4.4 40 at his pro day but I don't know how Poz did.

LB with 4.7 speed + TE/RB with 4.5 speed = 6 points or LB with 4.38 speed + TE/RB with 4.5 speed = interception So hard to choose.

"Poz" is waaaay too close to "Boz" for my taste. I'm superstitious. Especially when it comes to passing on a LB with killer instincts who runs a sub 4.4 40 and has all the intangibles to boot. Reasonable minds can differ on what position we should draft in the first round but if we do take a LB there, I can't think of any reason why we wouldn't take Willis and never look back.

Why wouldn't they do that same trade with a team that has a higher pick than we do, whatever team it is we think will take Peterson between 7 and 12 if we don't move up to 6 first?

Marv has said several times that he is talking about "football character" not boy scout character so yes, he would absolutely sign a guy with minor so called "character issues". Any one beside me out there who thinks that "character issues" is the top overused phrase when it comes to the draft? Right up there with "value pick" and "high motor".