Dan

True. And I suppose we could debate who's the best lineman. But, why not just take the best lineman? Not the second best lineman. It seems like at 8 we have a better chance at taking the best player that fits our needs.

Why would we trade with a team so they can move up and take a player that we want/need?

I tend to agree with you. Given our cap room, any failure to sign Clements would be a clear indication that the Bills are not interested in building a winning team, but rather field a bunch of guys - paving the way for apathy and moving to greener pastures. Clements may not be the best corner in the league, but he's clearly a good player and a proven starter.

I really like our schedule. 1. All 1pm starts. Provides consistency, plus this is the best time to play AND watch football. 2. A good mix of supposed hard and easy games. A few teams we should beat if we have any illusions that we're a decent team. Throw in a few teams that, if we beat; we can build off of and grow confidence in our players and staff. 3. A mid season buy. I hate the buy in week 3. 4. Multiple home games in December! Bring on the snow. There's nothing worse than playing the Dolphins in Dec. in Miami. I'm starting to feel more optimistic about this season.

But you're missing the true beauty of this. If we take Young and give him a year to learn because he can never get on the field. We'll likely have the first pick in 2007. Then we can draft Quinn (unless someone else wins the Rosebowl next year) and declare Young a bust.

Incorrect. Without the Buffalo Bills, football would be just like all other sports, something I MAY watch during the playoffs and Superbowl. On the plus side I'd be talking to my wife or working on my house right now, instead of sitting on a football message board. Damn, my life would suck.

If Young is so special and all that, why not just trade away 3 or 4 picks and move up to #2 and take him? If we have 10 picks; and we trade 4 picks, that still leaves us with 5 picks after we get Young. We're gonna suck this year, right? So, why do we need any picks in the draft? I say trade them all, if needed. As long as we get Young, all our problems will be solved and we'll see Jordanesque moves for years to come.

Having lived in or been closely affiliated with several towns that wanted and/or got a major sports franchise (Memphis, Nashville, Houston, Charlotte), I can tell you that keeping the Bills in Buffalo definitely has to be an integral part of the City's future. If the Bills leave, the city will regret it for years. I agree, a pro team doesn't fix the schools, or the crime rate or anything like that. However, when you're trying to build a city and/or attract business, having a major sports team is huge. The Bills may not bring in tons of cash to downtown Buffalo, but I have no doubt what so ever that they bring enormous money into the 'area". Just think about it, how many 100's of millions of dollars does it take to run the team - where does the majority of that money go? To Buffalo and the surrounding area. Look at all the businesses in thearea that benefit each Sunday. Yes, there may be other more important issues that face a declining metropolitan area. But a major sports franchise, such as the Bills, is integral to the viability of the area and ultimately fixing those other issues.

Amen.

So if you were in Houston... would you be a Titans fan now, and not a Texans fan??

Has anyone of the other smaller market teams wieghed in on this yet? Theoretically, they've had time to review the documents by now as well. And why does this seem to affect Buffalo more than anyone else? (Or am I just living with blinders on? Totally, possible since I don't read anything about any other tr]eam.) Is it just because of Ralph and the impending change of ownership?

If the Bills leave Buffalo, life as I know it would be over. I could care less what they'd call them in LA or anywhere else. I follow the Bills because my roots are in Buffalo, not because I like the colors or the name or anything nonsensical like that. I MIGHT continue to follow football, but there'd be no passion or allegiance to any team. My life would become meaningless and I'd die a lonely death in some remote forested region muttering obscure stats and names that no one no longer remembers.

Why not... Sep 10 @New England - Loss Sep 17 @Miami - Win Sep 24 N.Y. Jets - Win Oct 1 Minnesota - Loss Oct 8 @Chicago - Loss Oct 15 @Detroit - Win Oct 22 New England - Loss Nov 5 Green Bay - Win Nov 12 @Indianapolis - Loss Nov 19 @Houston - Win Nov 26 Jacksonville - Loss Dec 3 San Diego - Win Dec 10 @N.Y. Jets - Win Dec 17 Miami - Win Dec 24 Tennessee - Win Dec 31 @Baltimore - Loss 9-7

Exactly. No one really seemed to want Moulds. So what was our leverage? The bottom line is the rest of the league didn't think Moulds was as good as we do.

This piece of fact, I would suggest, is wrong. Marv pretty much said he wanted Moulds to stay. I'm pretty sure it was all Moulds' decision to leave. Granted, maybe Marv and Ralph were wanting to cut his pay more than Moulds was willing to accept and that's why he left (I really don't know). But, lets face reality. As much as we liked Moulds and wanted him here - he seemed to make up his mind (sometime last season) that he wanted out. And that was long before Marv arrived. I do agree TD made some great moves. But, what I can't get over is all those great moves and 5 years later we still suck. TD reminded me of one of those accountants types that knows numbers and runs a business that is sound and secure, but never succeeds because he doesn't see the forest for the trees.

I think this just all shows a little more clearly what Moulds' value is/was. You have to think his agent/advisor shopped him around to everyone. Who was interested? A whole lot of nobody. And the few that were interested weren't jumping up and down and offering the world to get him. The only serious team was one of the worst teams in the league, I dare say a team that is certainly as bad as the Bills (if not a shy bit worse). And what were they offering, not much. In the end, Moulds didn't want to be here anymore - he made that painfully obvious. He thought he was the second coming of TO and could cash in big time on the market. Ultimately, I'd imagine Moulds is feeling pretty bad about himself right now. He tested the market and all he was worth was a 5th round pick and a pay cut (although it's probably more than what the Bills wanted to restructure to).

I hesitate to respond, because this is definitely a "what's the point" post. But, 2 years with Marv or 5 years with TD? It's no brainer.

That.. and fielding a quality team for a few years are critical in my opinion.

I can't figure out who'll be left at #8. And now I have to worry about all the iterations of people left and moving around between #8 and #134? No way.

Can they sell all those sky boxes in Buffalo? I thought one of the issues in '98 was finding people with the cash to buy all the luxury seats or something like that. My memory's a little fuzzy. I agree the taxpayers don't always pay all the money, but I've lived in several NFL towns and believe me there always seems to be someone wanting to raise taxes to build or improve a stadium. I guess what I'm saying is that I can't blame Marv for trying. But I would blame him if he used that as an excuse to move.

I may be mistaken, but I'd imagine this exact same scenario plays out in every NFL city. I don't think any of the owners build the stadiums with their own money. So why should Ralph?

..And this is pretty much how I see it. I'm not adverse to moving up or down. But we can't sell off all our picks to move up, nor should we mover completely out of the 1st round, just to get more picks. Maybe we can't get the #1 or #2 lineman, but then we trade down, just a few spots and take the #3 or #4 rated guy. But, we don't just take the best player available. That's been the approach for years and it clearly hasn't worked. We need to determine what our biggest needs are - OL and DL. And draft the best players available for those positions. But what if we're at 8, and no one wants to trade, do you still take this Bunkley fella? I'd say yes if he's the best lineman left.

Me too. But Iran out of race metaphors. So I stretched that last one.

I'm not really advocating for any player. I don't presume to know exactly who we should take. However, I do know we need linemen a heck of a lot more than a safety. I don't know who's going to be there or not at 8. I've read a dozen and 1 mock drafts and they all show all sorts of things happening. However, if Fergie or Ngata, or possibly Hawk, are not on the board, I'm suggesting we should consider trading down to get line. But what if noone wants to trade? You still take the best lineman, even if its at 8. Ideally, you could trade down a few spots and still get that guy, plus another pick. But, who's to say someone wants to play with us?

Its been six years and we haven't even had a competitive team on the field, ket alone thing about the playoffs. The marathon is over. It's time for a new race. And I completely agree we need to build for the future, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we're more likely to get a franchise player in the 1st round than in the 2nd or 3rd round.