Last Guy on the Bench

Agree 100%. This has to do with much more than current/future player value. It has to do with team psyche and character. I want to root for the kind of team that pays a guy like Fred Jackson based on what he has (cheaply) already contributed and on what he means to the team overall. And I want to attract the kind of player that wants to play for a team like that.

Crayonz, you are a first ballot TBD hall of famer.

Great point. How come you aren't in love with this draft? (Real question.)

Not me, man. It was "Night Train" over at BillsZone.

Not my eagle eye. Wouldn't have noticed that myself in a million years. Just read it on another site and thought it was worth passing along.

I like Mayock a lot. No one gets everything right. Didn't post this to beat him up. Just to elevate the Glenn euphoria even further.

Sorry if this was posted already. I didn't see it anywhere here. Read it elsewhere. When Mayock broke down Glenn right after the selection, he showed two clips from Senior Bowl practices. The first was supposedly Glenn getting smoked to the inside. Except it wasn't Glenn (#71), it was Jeff Allen from Illinois (#72). The next clip of textbook balance and anchoring was actually Glenn. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/profiles/cordy-glenn?id=2532849 (Click on the first video link of Phil Hansen reading the selection - Mayock is right after that.)

I wonder if they'll go after LSU CB Ron Brooks in the 4th. They were rumored to like him a lot. Personally, I'd prefer to get an LB or another OT or WR.

From baalworship over at Bills Zone - excerpt from GBN Senior Bowl report: by Paul Guillemette, editor of Paul's Pigskin Place and GBN Special Scout with contributions from Colin Lindsay, GBN Editor and Publisher On the other side of the line, is UGA’s Glenn, a sometime OG, sometime OT, who has shown an incredible blend of size and footwork. His massive size allows him to absorb the charge of defenders without losing his balance, while he is always leaning and bending forward, which allows him to use his massive girth and strength to great advantage. And once he absorbs the defenders first hit he is able to slide from side to side with ease. Indeed, few defenders got any penetration into the backfield when matched up against Glenn, although he did let Howard loose on a spin move early in the one-on-one drills. And given his footwork, it will be a surprise if any team at the next level would even consider moving him back inside to OG. It's not a wise thing to jump to hasty conclusions in anything, let alone football player evaluations. But I feel pretty safe after this afternoon's practice in saying that the South has the two most imposing players in Mobile this week in Georgia OG Cordy Glenn and North Carolina DE Quinton Coples and it didn‘t appear that any of their teammates really wanted to go up against them in drills. So we suggested to South head coach Mike Shanahan that just maybe the should have the two go against each other in Wednesday‘s drills. He said to consider it a done deal. Mike Shanahan wasn’t kidding last night when he promised that we would see more one-on-one match-ups between DE Quentin Coples and G/T Cordy Glenn, the two best players on the South team. True to his word, the two ended up facing each other on the first four snaps of the 11-on-11 session, while they also went head-to-head on a number of occasions in the one-on-one pass blocking drills. And while each had their moments, the overall decision goes to Glenn who was probably the best player on the field today. Glenn, who lined up primarily at OG the first couple of days at practice, played almost exclusively at LT today and stoned just about every DE he faced including Mel Ingram and Courtney Upshaw on more than one snap. And Glenn put the coup de grace on his performance late in the 11-on-11 session when the offense ran a sweep around his side. Glenn pulled around the TE, raced down field - guys that big are only supposed to lumber in space - and delivered a crunching block on a poor overmatched safety. . . http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlreport.htm

Remember reading that he was the only tackle at the Senior Bowl who generally handled Coples pretty well in practice. Coples was supposedly eating everyone else up.

Less risk equals more value, everything else being equal. The old way, if I move from pick 10 to pick 1, I get a potentially better player, but I also take on a huge financial burden. At the 10 pick, I will factor that into my offer. In the current system, if I move from pick 10 to pick 1, I get a potentially better player at less financial risk than formerly. I will pay more (in draft picks/players). Think about it. If pick 1 gets $0 in salary, then I will offer exactly what I feel that player will be worth to my team on the field. If pick 1 gets $100,000,000 then I will offer less, because in addition to whatever picks/players I am giving up, I will also have to take on the risk not just of losing the picks/players but of losing the $100,000,000 (or the salary cap implications, etc.).

And then some? Really? I'm not keen to draft a safety either, but if he were as good as Ed Reed I'd be happy if they used the number one pick in the draft on him. Ed Reed is not only the best safety of this generation, he's one of the best players of this generation period. Instant hall of famer. If the Bills draft a hall of famer at 10, I don't care what position it is (as long as it's not a punter/kicker). (Again, not saying I think Barron is anywhere near that level.)

Right now NFL network is showing Hey Rookie 2006, and Mario is one of the players they focus on. Interesting watching his development from an overwhelmed rookie with no idea how to use his hands or what is happening in general to a monster. There is one play later in the season where the Texans are facing the Jets. Mario literally throws the Tight End into the running back in the backfield and knocks the RB on his ass. He tackles him without ever touching him. It was a billiard tackle using a 250+ pound guy as the cue ball. I am so happy right now. I wish the season started tomorrow (or maybe the day after the draft).

Good point. That dude is a lean 310.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Not an obvious position of need. But a defense that dominates the middle of the line will control most games. And imagine having KW, Dareus and Cox in a rotation. They'd all be fresh in the 4th quarter. Plus, as you say, we would be insulated from injury at that position. Right now if KW or Dareus goes down the defense is dramatically worse (huge drop-off to Heard or Troup). I would be be happy to draft Cox as BPA, though he's not my first choice.

I voted for Wilson. I am completely on that bandwagon. I think you'd have to burn a third on him, though. I think he'll have more interest than most people are assuming. In fact, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him go sometime in the 2nd round. I hate the idea of Tannehill. Doesn't have the experience. Doesn't seem clutch. Here's an interesting critique from Greg Gabriel: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thedailydolphin/2012/04/18/former-chicago-bears-college-scouting-director-says-ryan-tannehills-on-field-performance-warrants-2nd-or-3rd-round-pick/

I don't follow college ball (until draft time), so I was wondering if anyone had some insight into why Melvin Ingram didn't start until this last year. He had 9 sacks coming off the bench in 2010 (1 short of the team record, which he then tied in 2011). Was he really weak against the run? He's not exactly a one-year wonder in terms of big plays, but he is a one-year starter. Just seems curious to me. Otherwise, I like what I see/read about him. What gives?

All the AFC East teams have played seven games now. And not only do the Bills lead the division in points scored, but their struggling defense leads in points allowed. Today's shutout didn't hurt.

That's right. I think the original call was most likely wrong. But the replay ruling was right. There is a short period of time where the ball is screened from all available camera angles. It is possible the ball wasn't secure at that time. I doubt it, but if there is a blank spot in the review feeds, the reviewing ref has to uphold the on-field call.

I don't see why you couldn't change the rule and still avoid the ref having to read the QB's intention. As you say, the key is focusing on the ball. Well, when the ball starts moving back toward the QB, in my mind the forward pass is over. Simple. Ball moving forward = forward pass. Ball stationary or moving backward = no pass. Ball comes loose in the second case = fumble. I don't see why the QB should even get the benefit of bringing it back toward his body with no risk. You can't throw a forward pass by pulling the ball toward your body. Hence it is not a pass at that point. I know that is not the rule as it is written. But I agree with everyone who is baffled by what possilble logical intention there could be behind the rule. It should be changed.

No. What area is he in? I just started, so I don't know that many people. Also, I'm at the Graduate School of Business, which has its own building down on the waterfront, so I'm not at the main campus where most of the departments are.

Were those for Jimbo's neighbors or for the team? What's amazing here is that Fitz is hosting his neighbors every Sunday after he gets the hot sauce kicked out of him by 300 pound defensive linemen. (Actually, come to think of it, not too many of them have been hitting him this year. Rock on, mighty OL.)

I immediately color printed it and stuck it up in my new office here at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. No one here has a clue as to what it is, but it is making me very happy.

This. That's huge to me. I don't even care if once in a while it backfires and we lose a game by being too aggressive. The overall impact playing to win like that has on a team's psyche is well worth the occasional eff-up. I never understand coaches whose main focus is "eliminating mistakes" - you will never eliminate them. It's the coaches who build off their strengths and coach with confidence that can end up with great teams when they have the players. You can't be great at anything if your main goals is "don't be bad."