Bob in STL

I doubt he could make the team after a year off. He is simply not into playing and putting in the work that it takes.

Great post and you hit on something that I have been harping on for years with this team. You cannot have a surplus of leadership because real leadership is not about rank or control. Real leaders inspire by the way they conduct themselves and go about their business. In sports, leaders are the few that refuse to lose and cannot make peace with not being the best they can be. True leaders make others better. They make the sum greater than the parts. Leaders step up and make plays at crucial times. They want the ball. They set high expectations and those expectations become the way the organization conducts itself. It becomes a belief. We will win on Sunday. Because we expect to win on Sunday we will prepare to win on Sunday. Looks like we are starting to draft players that fit that description. I hope so. Do not confuse leadership with talking and fancy speeches. Leaders do not have to talk a big story, or tweet, or make videos. Leaders make the big plays that count. They work harder than the others and this forces everyone around them to work harder and step up. In the Polian/Levy/Butler years we had lots of players like this.

Brandon runs the business side which includes marketing, league committees, and administrative. The CEO title implies he is responsible for the books and for meeting costs and earnings projections. This is a business and it is run like a business. Nix runs the football side which includes player personnel and coaches. Nix has full reign here. He is responsible for putting a quality product on the field and winning games. The only part in question is who sets the budget ... as in the dollar amount paid to players, coaches, facilities and other staff? I still think Ralph still has final say in this capacity. Someone has to decide what the payroll looks like. Given this is true, Ralph has control of both Brandon and Nix and thus ultimate control of the team. This should not surprise anyone.

I would have put #42 Butch Byrd ahead of #24 Booker Edgerson. I put them both ahead of Robert James who only played a few season of football. All were great players no doubt.

I think Hansen was a very, very good Bill but the Wall should be reserved for the great ones. There are several on the Wall that I question. Bennett defintely should be on it. Lou Saban should be the next on it.

I never heard or read anything where Nix said he has offered a #1 next year. If he was and didn't take it then he just might have blown our chances of getting a "franchise QB" next year. Having two first rounders would help immensely. Am I ok to stand pat at that spot and draft a corner? I don't know what the offers were. I heard that the Bills had first round grades on Williams and maybe they did not have them on any other remaining players? I do not have a problem drafting a corner, a critical position in todays NFL, but I would prefer to trade down and stockpile some picks. As for Nix and his comments about so many offers to trade. How come the past GMs claimed they could not get offers to trade down and all of a sudden Nix is getting 15 calls per round? I simply don't believe any of the pre or post draft rhetoric.

Modrak may have just run his course as all people do in the NFL but does anyone think it odd that the majority of the players drafted were scouted by Nix and coached by Gaily at the Senior Bowl? Ok, on average the best players come from the South and Gailey coached the South but still Modrak and his cronies had 12 months to scout the entire country and Nix selected a large number of players that he and Chan looked at first hand. Makes me think they did not like Modrak's work in comparision to what they did in a few short weeks at Senior Bowl. BTW - now is the best time to make the change as they new year starts for scouting next years draft.

Yes, Like Ralph did with Donahoe and Modrak.

Aaron Williams? Don't you think you should at least see him play a game?

Worst: 1. Maybin - zero production 2. McCargo - a handfull of tackles one season, otherwise zero production 3. Hardy - 1 TD reception, otherwise zero production 4. Mike Williams - started ok and then got lazy 5. Losman - we reached to get him in the first round.

Wood, Levitre, Byrd, McGee, Butler, Stevie Johnson, ...???....

1985 and I don't even have to look it up.

When does the UDFA season start and what is keeping the Pats* and Cowboys from cheating right now?

Bucky Brooks was a bust. They say it takes on to know one.

Bad draft. D+ is my grade. You cannot blow the first 3 rounds like this. First rounder McKelvin is inconsistent at CB and as a return man. not a natural player. Picks 2 (Hardy) and 3 (Ellis) gave us zero production. Horrible. Pick 4 - Corner has been a good backup and a decent nickel back. Pick 4 - Fine -injured and whatever talent he had never emerged Pcik 5 - Bowen - Injured and never got a shot Pick 6 Omon - why did we pick him? Pick 7 - Bell - Great developmental pick that looks like a servicable LT, not great at run blocking but when healthy is a good pass blocker. Can improve with time Pick 7 - Johnson - Great pick. After sitting on the bench for a few years he looks to be a solid #2 WR. Pilc 7 - Cox - did nothing.

TE, OL, OLB and don't forget to sign more DBs.

WOW. I cannot believe I am seeing this. The day has come were players argue with fans and they do it from hundreds of miles away from each other. I am one of the few that does not think Donte is a bad player. He is good safety, a bit weak covering the top TEs, but overall a useful player to have. I do not persecute him for being drafted too high. That is not his fault. He is not a Pro Bowler or a difference maker but I think he plays hard and helps the team. I am appalled that he sends these ridiculous Twitter messages out that show him to be so childish. Donte, if you are reading this please take this advice. Stop taking yourself down to the level of the knuckleheads. You act like a child. Rise up and elevate yourself. Turn off the Twitter. Why do you need to get the last word? Grow up. If I owned the Bills I would make them all turn off Twitter.

I see the bears instead? got it now. thanks.

Don't see Williams as a DE in the 3-4. Just don't see it. Still looks shakey at OLB. Merriman is the key. Kelsey cannot cover. Moats? Wilson will probabaly back up Byrd at SS. There will be a lot of people rotating in the defensive backfield. Now do people see why we drafted 3 DBs?

During training camp rolls are served every day at dinner. Yes, Maybin can have one.

So if we take Gabbert at #3 we will have people saying we are gambling when Dareus is a sure thing. If we take Locker or Ponder we are reaching. If we trade down we lose a shot at an impact player. Play the games and we will see in the next three years how these QBs perform. I still like the draft. Our defense is going to get good and that is start toward respectability. We need a franchise QB yes, so do 25 other teams.

Well youre right. I was not going to be the one to say it some of the comments are crazy. Call it youthful exuberance. Folks need to remember that just because you read in a magazine (or a website) that one guy is rated a 6.0 and the guy we picked is rated a 5.5 does not mean we picked the wrong guy. I read that a lot on the Sheppard pick over the guy from Illinois. I much prefer the fact that our staff worked with Sheppard and they know he fits. I love Sheppard's leadership skills and his team attitude. There is no rating system for that. That is an intangible that matters much more than whether you ran around a bunch of cones 0.1 second faster than the next guy.

Lots of glare huh? Can't address all the holes. 1. There really were no impact TE's in this draft. The top TE got away but I would rather have Sheppard at ILB than a TE. We really need help at ILB. 2. If they picked a top QB or a top Tackle then they would not have Dareus. Your choice --- Dareus or Gabbert, Locker, Ponder, Solder, Costanzo. I think they made the best pick possible at #3. No issue there. None of the guys named were there at 34. 3. At # 34 there were a few RTs that really may be no better than the guy we got in the fourth round. We picked a top rated DB instead that can play corner or nickel or safety. He will be on the field right away. I think they did great. Still ... it is going to take a few more drafts to put this team in the upper echelon. As you correctly stated, there are many needs.

School out already?