Mickey

I actually think that Edwards could be an ideal back-up. Studious, causes no problems and provided he plays within his limited skill set, he could be occasionally productive.

The experts are always wrong, really? The experts were high on Peyton Manning and Eli as I recall, and Rivers and Big Ben as well. They also liked Michael Oher. Fact is, the experts are usually right but when they are right, its not news. When they are wrong, those mistakes become legendary and for the foolhardy, the exception is the rule rather than the usual outcome. I have seen Tebow-like QB's come and go in the college game, year in and year out. He is just the latest version of a medicore QB playing on a loaded team and surviving on special skills like running the ball that will never translate in the pros.

Back in 2004, we had the 13th pick and the Steelers had the 11th. However, the Jags were picking at #9 and took WR Reggie Williams. The Steelers took Big Ben and we took Lee Evans. We traded back in to the bottom of the first round to take JP. I thought then and still think that we could have traded up with the Jags and stole Ben from the Steelers. The Jags would only have dropped from 9 to 13 and there were a lot of WR's still on the board at the time including Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Clayton and Michael Jenkins. As it was, Lee Evans made it to 13 and with us at 9 taking a QB, Reggie Williams probably would have lasted to 13 too so the Jags would probably have gotten Williams anyway despite the trade down and if they didn't, the consolation would have been Lee Evans. Now, I don't know about you but I would have had no problem at all with a trade up for Big Ben. We ended up trading up anyway and splurging on JP. I think we may face the same situation this year. We have compelling needs elsewhere, especially at OT but we may very well have a chance to trade up if we want to try and nab Jimmy Clausen. Would you do it? I am going to guess that the collective wisdom is going to be "no way" given how often people pitch the idea of a trade down. I think that idea is always attractive to us wannabee GM's because it just seems to be such a clever trick. Normally I would probably agree but not here. I am sick and tired of standing pat when draft after draft, due to our medicore records, we are just a few picks away from franchise players. Not this time. I have no problem at all trading up to get Clausen and taking my chances in finding an OT later on or in FA. Yeah, I know, a great QB on his back can't do much but a crappy QB can't do much with a good line. Take Clausen and then start building around him. That's my plan.

Tebow didn't play in a pro style offense and he succeeded despite his poor skill set. Clausen was playing in a pro style offense under the intense scrutiny that a ND QB always had to deal with. Take their murderous schedule and ND's weak defense and Clausen's performance is even more impressive. Overall, I think I agree with your central point though that numbers alone don't mean much but the author made that point himself. Its all a crap shoot but I would have no problem with a trade up for Clausen.

I would have no problem trading up for him. I know we have a lot of needs on this team but even so, this guy has been playing lights out as only a junior. He is the kind of QB you can build a team around. The OL is already going to be better with Levitre and Wood having a year under their belt. This is a good draft for OT's, we can find one later on. Does anybody know what the going rate is to move up from 9 to 5? Third rounder?

I am all for building in the trenches but the fact is that we need both, a solid QB and a solid OL. The question in the draft is how to we walk away with both? Lets say we get lucky and Bradford or Clausen is still there at 9. If we take one of them, then we need that LT in the second. So the question becomes, what are the odds we find a good LT in the second? Lets say we pass on the QB and land our LT in the first, maybe its Bulaga, maybe its the Rutgers guy, whatever. Then the question is what are the odds we find a good QB in the second? I think the odds of finding a good QB in the second or even the third round are significantly lower than the odds of finding a solid LT in those rounds. Part of that is because I don't think much at all of Colt McCoy and even less of Tebow. Tony Pike is interesting, I am looking forward to what he does at the combine. That Robinson guy didn't look too bad at the senior bowl either. The draft appears to be a bit heavier on LT talent thane

He'll be the next QB failure for the Buffalo Bills. Why on earth a team that has been this bad for this long would decide that they can afford to take a risk on an oddball, controversial, long shot project like Tebow is beyond me. There are so many holes we need to fill and so many solid prospects out there that it would border on lunacy to burn a pick on a this guy.

I don't think we know what we have in Hardy yet at all. We couldn't even get the ball to Lee Evans or TO consistently. Hardy was a rookie and then hurt last year. I don't think its fair at all to write him off.

Hell, with the right offense and a good offensive line, I could be a viable starter.

Us more "seasoned" fans are familiar with that history having lived it. But I think it is pretty much true of every team in dire need of a QB. Every team in that situation tries to address it and there are only two ways to do that, draft one or get a vet. So as interesting as I find this trip down bad memory lane, I don't find it all that revealing. No offense.

Well said. I don't understand why every disagreement around here has to include personal insults. Unfortunately, it is behaviour that is essentially encouraged by the mob. The cleverest and meanest insults never fail to draw a chorus of snorting and guffawing approval from those who agree with whatever rude little intertwit started the downhill exchange to begin with. Too bad really, this is a great place to get information and yak about the sport and team we love.

I prefer classier pin-ups myself but I appreciate your efforts.

I think they are just as concerned about the QB's on the roster as we are. However, until they can get some new guys in here via the draft or free agency, it would be foolish to treat them as anything but our QB's. For they know at this point, circumstances may force them to start one of those guys for a year while other roster holes are filled. Really, what would you have them say, in public, if asked about any of the QB's on the roster right now? At this point, the only value Trent has to the team is either as a stop gap starter or as trade bait. Going after him in public would wreck both of those.

If I recall Buddy's words correctly, he said "Folks with good quarterbacks is winnin and folks without 'em is losin." I think we are taking a QB if either of those two are still on the board when we go. I am not saying we should necessarily, I'm just predicting that we are because Buddy as much as said it. Thing is, he is right. Folks with good QB's are winning. Folks without 'em are losing.

None of that convinces me that we improved the team by losing Jabari Greer. The only reason we lost Greer is that the front office didn't think he was worth keeping. They were flat out wrong. If he was still here and still on this roster, there would be a player currently on the roster who wouldn't be. Simple math. And whatever we used to get that player, draft pick or FA$ or trade, we would have used for someone else, someone who might have improved the team. It is really a very simple analysis. Do you think Greer is a good player? If you do, we agree on that. Do you think we got better by letting him go? If you do, then that is where we disagree. Explain that to me, how it is that by letting a good player go, we got better. 'Cuz I don't have the understanding that you and the team have about how to build a winner with brilliant moves like losing Jabari Greer.

Our drafts don't belong to any one person, they have been collaborative efforts. Pick by pick, we can't possibly know the precise degree of Modrak's or anyone elses input. Modrak however can't escape some responsibility for what has been an almost unbroken string of disasters. He plays a role in our drafts, exactly how big a role year to year we just don't know but he is obviously a major player.

Actually, if you take a look at the lineman we have taken in the first two or three rounds, the "big name" guys, you'll find that most of the best lineman we have ever had were drafted pretty highly. Reggie McKenzie was taken with the first pick in the second round of the 1972 draft. Joe D. was taken in the second round with the 26th pick in the draft in 1973. Ken Jones and Joe Devlin were both taken in the second round of the 1976 draft. Jim Richter was our first round pick in 1980, taken with the 16th pick. Will Woolford was taken in the first round with the 20th pick in 1986. John Fina was a frist round pick in 1992. Ruben Brown was our top pick, 14th overall, in the 1995 draft. It is a bit early but so far, the reviews on Wood and Levitre are promising. Really, about the only time taking a lineman early hasn't worked is Mike Williams. Sure, everyonce in awhile you find gold under a rock like Peters but the surer path is to find evaluate people as best you can and don't be afraid to use a first or second round pick on offensive lineman. More than anything the lesson is that second tier free agents won't work. Walker, Dockery and Fowler are just a few examples of that foolishness.

Funny how that works, you let a good player go, then you have to devote a draft pick or several of them to replace him, picks you could have used to improve the team. If you hit on the pick, all you have done is kept from getting worse, you've broke even, nothing more. I haven't checked and don't want to know if we took McKelvin the same year we let Jabari go, I don't think I could stand the pain.

Tebow is not a real NFL QB. The NFL is littered with the wreckage of exceptional college QB's from top programs that were all hype and stats and no talent. Jerry Tagge, Gino Torretta, Eric Crouch, etc. Tebow is just the latest edition of the species. The Bills can't afford to gamble at this point. No pick is a sure thing but this guy comes with waaaaaaay more risk than any number of players we badly need.

Exactly. Ever hear of Jerry Tagge? Tebow is practically an exact duplicate of him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Tagge

I don't think Clausen will be there but if he was and we took Tebow, that would be the worst draft decision in team history. Worse than Patulski and Williams put together.

The problem is that for him to have trade value, he has to play well. And if he plays well, why the eff would we trade him?

Well that proves it then. Never mind that Maybin has never played the position before and hasn't played well in the NFL at the position where he has the most experience. Because some other guy a decade or so ago did it on an entirely different team (Bruce Smith was on the other side, remember him?) who was a proven player even before he made the switch, establishes without doubt that Maybin would be a pro bowl at OLB. Sure, its possible the guy might do well at that position but it would be more than foolish to assume he would and then base your personnel strategy, in part, on that assumption. Kind of like thinking that Langston Walker would be a fine LT.

the only team dumb enough to do that is us really? do u think there is a team willing to give up 3 picks, including a 1 and a 2, just to move up to 9th???

Yes, and that is why San Diego's kicker missed three field goals? The Jets are good enough to be there to rake in the good fortune when lady luck looks their way, I'll give them that. But they are not the best team in the playoffs, they are just the luckiest. And when that luck runs out, it will be an ugly exit. The thing is, I actually kind of like the Jets. I have always been a fan of the old AFL teams and their win in that Super Bowl finally gave us AFL'ers the respect we craved. Most of my memories of big games against them are of us winning so I don't have the hate for them that I do for the Pats and the Fins. I'd like to see them win it all but I want a close, competitive Super Bowl. I think that if the Jets get that far, they will get blown away by either the Vikings or the Saints and I hate blow out Super Bowls.