BarleyNY

It certainly appears that all of the QB needy teams are trying to move back in the 1st round of the draft. If true (and it sure seems like it is) then that tells you everything you need to know about this QB class.

That's a hell of a qualification to have to continually make. It makes sense to talk about the Sammy Watkins we have, not the Sammy Watkins we wish we had.

That makes sense. No need to rush it and pick up his option until just prior to the deadline. Nothing to be gained and waiting hedges against the slim possibility of something going horribly wrong medically. Can you imagine the backlash if Whaley picked up his option a month early and then Watkins came down with a career threatening staph infection? Waiting until the last minute to pick up the option a non-story.

In no particular order: Jonathan Allen Corey Davis OJ Howard Haasan Reddick I had to pull Trubisky off my list. I just can't do it. No QB in this draft is worth the 10th pick. I'll add Derek Barnett in his place. Not a need pick, but he'd likely be BPA and plays a premium position.

Those are nice

While I agree that Whaley should have done more on the QB front, Dak isn't nearly what he was last season on any other team. Dallas has the best OL in the game right now and they gave him loads of time. Zeke flourished behind that line too which took pressure off of him. And then there's the skill players like Dez and Witten.

The Bills desperately need to address WR. They need to do that even with Watkins as he's pretty much all they have right now. It's difficult to say they have to do it at 10 because a) we don't know who will be available at 10 and b) the defensive backfield is just as needy.

Also be aware that Yolo's a spooner.

I'd also have to know what offers I'm getting. There's always opportunity to trade away a draft pick for crappy value. Who's off the board? What am I getting? Which team is making the offer?

I want them to select a QB prospect they think has a chance to be a FQB. I don't care where as long as the risk/reward is proportional to the pick spent.

I'm sorry about your son's medical issues. I hope the Clinic helps him get well soon. They are a fantastic hospital. My son was born there. My daughter was born in their network too. Draft day is not a great movie. It was okay, but one viewing is plenty. Well known trivia alert!: The only reason it is about the Browns and not the Bills is that Cleveland gave the movie studio a better deal than Buffalo did. The original script had the Bills as the team. Just don't make fun of Cleveland or the Browns and you'll have a good time. Lots of good places to go and there should be plenty of parties on draft weekend. Pretty much every bar should have it on. The big Browns sponsored event is free and not far from you at all. http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/03/browns_will_host_2017_nfl_draf.html

Thanks. You posed a great question. BB seems like a guy that would willingly take a regular season loss (or even two) to help get himself a playoff win. I was thinking about Bountygate in NO or how the Ravens played for years. It really wouldn't be a much different situation than those: Dial up defenses to hit Brady, tell your players to do it every chance they got and not to worry about flags. If it's close, hit him.

I doubt he'd blitz Brady in order to win that game. Brady is at his best when defenses make decisions easy. He'd pick that apart. BB would lay off of him in a single game and try to control the clock on offense. But if he got to play against Brady a couple of times during the season and again in the playoffs I'd bet he'd punish him. Without Brady the Patriots aren't going anywhere in the playoffs, so he'd do his best to knock him out for that - and he'd even severely "bend" the rules to do it. BB plays the long game when he can.

That's about exactly how I feel. The more intriguing aspect of the situation is what the Bills should be doing to make him successful enough that he earns the deal he wants and sticks around here.

Picking up his 5th year option would not preclude him signing a LTD. He is eligible to sign a LTD now. Players have to complete their 3rd league year before doing so and he's done that. Also of note: the option is guaranteed for injury only and may be rescinded up until the first day of the league year of the option. That's a day in early March 2018 for Watkins. No reason not to pick it up now. As I mentioned earlier, it doesn't make sense to do a LTD for him yet though.

Something wrong with the other Cardale thread?

Don't forget that the troll factor is present here and would've been there too. That doesn't account for the whole 12%, but it's part of it.

Unlike the Jest, I advocate trying to draft a non-Shidty QB prospect. After all, what is the other option? To not even try? That would be idiotic.

To be fair, there's really not much dissent here. "No" votes are under 12%.

I gotta step in with my 2¢. I love the potential of Watkins. It is a no brainer to pick up his option for that reason alone. But it is extraordinarily dangerous to focus on a single stat like yards/target. His success in that regard is notable, but the Bills offense is made for very high yards/target. There's a reason we are discussing whether or not to pick up Watkins' option and not how big of a long term contract to offer him. His total production doesn't match his talent. Injuries - including those he's played through, but was hampered by - are certainly a big part of that. So is scheme. What happens if and when he's targeted more? His body will be asked to deal with more strain and punishment. What then? The one issue that has been my biggest concern with him may be his saving grace, however. His injuries haven't been contact related. Man, that bothers me, but at least he hasn't had issues with hits. Julio Jones had similar foot and soft tissue issues and was able to get right physically. He's been a stud since. If Sammy can do that, then we're in business. If not or, God forbid, he doesn't until after he moves on to another team, then.......well, I think we all know how those stories go. I just don't like how this story is tracking right now. Watkins needs PRODUCTION to get the Bills to give him the big contract he surely wants. Let's game this out, assuming his option is picked up: 2017: - Highly productive, like the 1500 yard seasons JJ & AB each had in one of their 1st four seasons. That gets him a big contract from the Bills before he plays out his option year. - Good season or worse, say 1k yards again or injury plagued. This gets him to his option year. 2018 after the latter: - Highly productive. Gets him franchised, which would lead to a LTD, trade or his departure after 2019. - Good or worse. He's a FA. Outside possibility of tag if he had two good seasons in 2017 and 2018. Watkins will want his money, of course. But he also will want his stats, which would lead to more money. Is he going to get that in Buffalo with the current scheme and QB? That's a tough sell. He's not staying here of his own free will if the next two seasons look like the last two. An excellent 2017 season for him would go a long way toward him staying here, so a lot is riding on that. That's why I'm holding my breath.

Of course I'd pick it up. He certainly possesses talent, but that talent exceeds his production thus far. I'd like to keep him around and find out if he can stay healthy and bring his production into line with his talent. At this time there's no way I'd give him a long term deal, so picking up his option seems the best course of action.

One is assuming that it's a defensive push to get her away and not one that deliberately puts her in harms way. Accidents could, of course, happen in such cases, but every person has the right to defend themselves. Even a woman can do damage to a large man. What if she'd caught him across the cornea with her nail? What if she'd had a small weapon, like a knife? A push that gets her away from him certainly would be reasonable IMO.

I agree. How different would Mixon's life be if he had pushed that girl away and left rather than dropping her with a right and fracturing 4 bones in her face before leaving?

Thanks for posting. Excellent article.

I was born and raised in Cleveland. Lived in Cleveland and Columbus for over 40 years before moving to Buffalo almost 5 years ago. I root for the Browns and the Bills.