The Senator

Had Lou Saban stayed with the Bills, teams might be playing for the 'Lou Saban Trophy' rather than the 'Vince Lombardi Trophy' - as Lou & Da Billsss would likely have kicked KC's butt in the '66 AFC Championship game (which would have been the Bills 3rd consecutive AFC title), gone on to win Superbowl One against Green Bay, and who knows how many more thereafter. But he quit. Twice. Then, he quit everywhere else - sometimes before his start date! Freakin' guy was a great coach - but, somehow, unstable. That's why I had to go with Marv. (Bowery-you can change your vote back now! )

seriously, what's a few more keystrokes - esply if your post is already that 'granular'?

Paddy Driscoll as well - I remember watching him on TV, right before FDR came on to reassure the American people after the Big Crash!

Neither did #12.

I think Gailey's more inclined to move in that direction (spread-like offense), which does seem to be the league-wide trend anyway, and obviously I think Mallet's going to be that Pro-Bowl QB for the Bills! Certainly Petrino, a former QB himself and former QB coach/OC for the Jaguars and HC in Atlanta, has to have been a good mentor to prepare Mallett for the NFL. (JMO.)

Your question can't be answered 'strong arm aside' - the strong arm is one of the major reasons, maybe the main reason, given the climate in Orchard Park, Foxboro*, NJ, etc. But other reasons are Mallett's age and experience (and I recognize/acknowledge you don't see Luck's youth and inexperience as a disadvantage), his larger size (and he may still get bigger - not necessarily taller, but even more heft than now), and at least some cold-weather experience from his season at Michigan and the Fayetteville, AR winters. He plays a pro-style offense under Petrino, and one would argue that his 'numbers' are every bit as impressive as Luck's, even more so - only he achieved them against much stronger competition over longer time in a much tougher conference. I'm not sure I even know what a 'pro-style' offense is any more, K-Gun! NE* and the Colts have been running what looks like a spread-offense for several years (Urban Meyer & Belicheat* are close buddies) - GB and NO also use a spread-like package with great frequency (and success). That said, I always thought Bobby Petrino's offense was considered a 'pro-style' offense. (Interesting side-note - if the Bills DO end up with Ryan Mallett, they'll have two Petrino-coached QBs, Mallett and Brohm, along with a Petrino-coached center/guard in Eric Wood.)

I have nothing against Andy Luck - he's a good kid, and a fine QB in the PAC 10. You do realize he just turned 21 less than 2 months ago, yes? He is, in NFL terms, a child that would be 'chewed up and spit out', were there any coaches dumb enough to 'throw him to the wolves' in his rookie year. Not only is Mallett a better fit for the Bills, but he could contribute sooner. (All moot points anyway, since Luck is staying in school next year.)

Meh...you've been living here since '02, so you're sort of the guy with all the junk in his backyard and the beat-up living room couch on your front porch. The neighbors and I tolerate you and find you amusing but sincere - just wish you'd tidy-up your property a bit! Interesting - I wonder, should Harbaugh get the EssEff job, if he would follow the advice of certain TSW geniuses and deliberately lose every game to ensure he can draft Luck in 2012?

But he is the biggest a-hole on the planet. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice.

Luckily for him, the web admnistator's name happens to be Jerry Jones, Jr.

Wanna know who's really pissed about this whole 'avatar thing'?

I think Saban might have also slapped down Hank Stram in the Bills' 3rd consecutive AFL title game, and gone on to slap down Lombardi & the Packers in Superbowl One - had he not quit one week after winning the 2nd AFL title in '65! (Which, along with quitting for the 2nd time in 1976, is why Lou will have to wait 'til Ralph goes on to the 'big luxury box in the sky' before being posthumously placed on the Bills ' Wall of Fame '.) Still, you can't argue with the accomplishments of taking the team from consecutive 2-14 seasons to 12-4 and the AFC title game in two seasons, and then on to 4 consecutive AFC titles and Superbowl appearances - that's why I gotta go with ' The Marv-elous One ' !!!

I know...I know...didn't they teach him anything at Stanford?

That's the general idea, John - to put up a huge fence and just talk Bills with the folks whose wit, insight, and repartee I enjoy and respect. ( Kind of like when Two Bills Drive was a great neighborhood, before all the riff-raff moved in and started throwing their garbage on the sidewalks and crapping on everyone's front lawns! ) I don't come here to argue, and life's too short to put up with morons and a-holes. )

Spot-on - almost every current mock has Mallett in the top 10 now, about half have him in the top 5 - and 'his stock is rising', as they say. Mallett will be the Bills 1st-round pick, if he's there when we pick. Luck will not be there when anyone picks in 2011 - he'll be at Stanford, studying for finals and thinking about his senior year that will begin next Fall. Luck won't be in this years draft - as 'bills44' pointed out yesterday, we should be more worried about Arkansas alum Jerry Jones taking Mallett, if Dallas picks before we do.

I believe he is! Holy crap, APV, I was gonna say BuffTown 46 MoTown -- 0 but I like your prediction better GO BILLSSS!!!! Reverse the Curse!!!!!

they would likely start scrambling the fighter jets at NFAFB

I had no idea the precise measurement of a 'gale-force wind' was 32-63 mph until I just 'Googled' it. Anyway, you've convinced me now - Mallett is no good for us. (If he were to 'launch one' with the wind at that speed, it'd sail all the way to the Peace Bridge.)

Even more absurd - they'll be whining over losing our chance at a guy that won't even be in the draft this April

I take it you've never been to a game in Orchard Park. Now you've done it, Dean - you're gone and blown up the whole strategy. You're next on the 'ignore' list, buddy! (Seriously, have any of my predictions ever come to pass? )

I don't read them, because they're painful to read - in fact, once I sign-in, I don't even see them 'cause he's on my 'ignore' list. The info he wastes so much time compiling and posting is readily available to anyone with a search engine, and the conclusions he draws from those volumes of data are spurious. I decided months ago that, to continue enjoying TSW, especially with the recent influx of troll-like provocateurs, I'd have to put anyone that irks me on my 'ignore' list - which is where I just put you. I suggest you put me on yours.

It's a good plan, APV, except I truly doubt Luck declares for the draft this April. Still, we need to lose every game - just in case! But here's the real beauty of your strategy - by losing every game this season AND next season, we're guaranteed the opportunity to draft Luck unless he eschews the NFL for grad school! Even better, we'd also get to choose between Luck and Oregon's Darron Thomas - whom TSW will no doubt love even more than Luck next season. I haven't really watched Ashlon Jeffrey, nor had much opportunity to scout the 2013 draft - I'm too busy building my draft-value spreadsheets while scouting the Orchard Park Quakers, Clarence Red Devils, Lancaster Redskins, and St. Joe's Collegiate Institute Marauders to ascertain whether it would be beneficial for us to continue losing even beyond 2013! Do you think the Bills be shooting for 2014's Superbowl 48 in NJ - or play it smart, keep right on losing thru 2016, stockpile all those #1 picks, and set our sights on Superbowl 50 in 2016?

You really need to get over your man-crush for the guy - he's not even that handsome anymore, since he got so fat

Bill, I think Mallett is a VERY safe pick - and also think that, if he's there when we're 'on the clock', he's the guy Nix will take. If Chan Gailey and George Cortez got Fitz playing this well, I have no doubts they can work wonders with a not-so-raw Sasquatch-of-a-QB like Ryan Mallett. And yeah, it'll be fun - for a change - watching a guy who can throw the ball 70 yards into a gale-force wind! And I'm not nearly as concerned about the O-line as you (maybe I should be), especially if Nix can grab Gabe Carimi in round 2 or trade back into round one if necessary to get him. They still need to address DE and OLB/ILB needs in the mid-rounds, so I expect they'll address any add'l O-line needs thru trades, UFAs, and free agency - along with another year of experience/maturity for the current crew. But Mallett's the key. Then, Carimi. GO BILLSSS!!!! Reverse the Curse!!!!!

Actually, we bundled our own 3rd & 4th round picks in the trade for Dallas' 2nd-round pick (Levitre) - the Eagles' 4th-round pick that we acquired in the trade for FatBoy Peters was used to draft TE Shawn Nelson. Still a great trade by Brandon - a fat, lazy, aging, injury-prone, over-paid OT with declining talent and a huge attitude problem, for 2 very decent up-and-coming players (Wood & Nelson) with loads of talent, potential, and years ahead.