habes1280

Eslinger is still on the board-- the consensus #2 center in this year's class, and REAL value in the 5th round.

I'd love another Sammy Morris (5th round of a draft everyone critiques for its busts). I'm still chagrined we let him go.

Anyone going? I will soon be transplanted to the Boston proper, and would love to head to the game with some Bills loyalists.

bumpsky

Just got accepted to BU, and will be relocating to the Boston proper by the end of August. Is anyone making the trek to NE for the season opener-- it would be an auspicious beginning to head to the game with some Bills faithful.

My apologies if this has been asked and answered-- I'm avoiding most of this thread to evade any spoilers-- but I'm a fan of the series, late-coming, and after watching the first season on DVD, didn't want to jump into Season Two midstream. Does anyone have access to Season Two episodes on DVD? I would gladly pay for the cost of any disks and shipping, if you could send them my way. If you could PM or e-mail me (habes1278@hotmail.com), I'd really appreciate it. Thanks, guys.

While I hate the logic, there is something to be said for the fact that Neal seemed to be the ONLY Patriot to start all 16 games last season-- at his natural position-- and still NE made no substantive efforts to retain him. This is not the "emerging player" lost in the depth chart scenario seen with many prospects (Triplett chief among them). It stands to reason that after getting a good look at him, they weren't impressed enough to keep him around, even at the modest salary level they tend to offer their veterans-- there's been no press (I've seen) that indicates the Neal rebuffed any offer from the Pats. In most cases, this is a squalid kind of reasoning that doesn't seem to take us anywhere; but it might very well apply here that Neal is an interesting candidate and a prospect at a position for which we have very few, but hardly someone we can pencil in as a prospective starter, or even a rotational in-liner.

A agree, but Ramsey represents a better insurance policy than the two-headed monster of Fielder-Bollinger.

What remains viable is that two divisional opponents have substantially improved, if not fortified, their offenses by acquiring QB's without surrendering a first rounder (in the Jets case, without surrendering anything more than a prospective special-teamer). I have no interest in foraging into names or positions headlong or without foresight, but it would be nice to see our front office work more aggressively toward larger yield prospects-- and not simply the depth-line or role-players we've been turnstyling in.

Not sure if this has been posted, but the Jets are getting a lot for what they're spending. Ramsey is far from shoring their lot at QB, but gives them options heading into the remainder of free agency and the draft-- and is far superior to who they'd have acquired on the second day of the draft. I'd like to see the Bills be players in moves such as these. Lower yield draft picks are going a long way in trade scenarios this offseason.

Could not agree more. As I've said in a million previous posts no one reads but me-- we have not had a force on the edge since the last time we were a force.

"Ben Roethlisberger-- foot came very close to crossing the line of scrimmage, " was what I grabbed, but that's just one guy talking.

Not to be confused with Gregg "Boobies" Williams, who was not so grand.

John Mitchell (Profile, here.) might be a nice consolation prize. I've quietly been a fan of his for at least three days.

You're right, most of those linemen are pretty gross, but there are several players in that pool who have performed to expectations-- better than you have surmised. Sam Aiken has been a special teams ace-- as a 4th rounder, we might expect more positional performance, but I have no qualms with him in his current role with the team, and hope we retain him. Tim Euhus has struggled mightily with injuries (something I hope Everett is able to overcome), but he projected well, and still might develop. Acquiring him where we did, when we did, wasn't foolish and might still pay dividends. For a 6th round DT, Sape is just fine-- an occasional run stuffer who has shown a few flashes of "something"...enough to keep him on the roster, not half enough to be excited about it. We were, and are, suffering in the trenches, and the indexes you've provided might speak to the lack of depth, and poor success rates, of latter round linemen-- were there productive players who escaped the Bills radar on the second day of those drafts? The Bills drafting for need on the second day, and "best available" on day one seems to be inverting the conventional saw. CB's and LB's seem to be better yield prospects on the second day, so I'm not surprised we hit on a few of them, but I think your prospectus says worlds about looking for lineman in the nether regions of this year's draft: for every Jason Peters (undrafted), there are five McFarland's.

Holecek and Carpenter were outspoken in their enmity for Donohoe, along with others unmentioned whose names and situations are escaping me...I didn't like this as it was happening, and don't like that it happened, but TD was simply unsentimental-- and while I hate the lack of cohesion, identity, and solidarity that ideal creates, it is a pragmatic response to free agency. With very few exceptions, front offices are tending toward this rationale when negotiating contracts and rosters. The Polians are few.

While I'm all for the urgency-- isn't this a bit hasty. An internal interview with April, followed by back-to-back courtships of Jauron and Sherman, and the process ends? I'm also not sure of the particulars, but isn't a minority candidate manditory in the interview process? It would seem a little disingenuous to make a tacit decision on Jauron or Sherman, followed by a gratuitous interview with Teddy C. for window-dressing.

Agreed, agreed, and agreed.

Anyone remember Marty not letting Bruce Smith leave camp for Marv's induction? Marty's had some success in San Diego, but there were a LOT of questionable coaching decisions this year-- and pock-marking his entire coaching career. He's an adequate coach who builds adequate teams, and while it would be nice to land a known commodity, I think our long term prospects would bode better with another candidate. We know what we'd be getting in Marty, which is better than most of the others in queue, but I'd rather stake some security for a candidate who might build something better than Marty has to this point. (it's hard to say this, given that a perrenial wild-card castoff would be a welcome improvement to drawing dead from Week Seven, onward).

It's not entirely off the wall-- many coaches, beyond Marv, have made similar progessions (though usually with a few more coordinator stops along the way), Cowher is another example that comes to mind. In the larger scheme of things, we could certainly do a lot better, but it is at least worth a moment's consideration (now come and gone).

I'm not sure how much he'd have grown with the strictures now in place-- he led under TD's hand for two years, and now seemed to be demured to Ralph and Levy's... I liked Mike, I didn't like his handle on this last season, but was willing to see how a structural change might influence him or his style of coaching. Whatever the case, at this point a wholesale change seems more in order, and more honest. Mularkey was conceding his coaches and seemed a bystander in the restructuring of his staff. Bringing in a new head coach without loyalty or investment in those who've been displaced, without ambivalence, might bring some solidarity to what's to come.

I like agreeing with posters, but don't here. Clements has drawn ire here and around Bills Central, much of which was well-deserved, but like with Pat Williams, Antoine Winfield, potentially Eric Moulds, and arguably Jonas Jennings (I was not sorry to see him go, but it services the point to follow), their loss adds a need to our offseason tally-- and unless we can immediately upgrade at that position, I see no reason to bring in another player at a high price, or early in the learning curve. Not re-signing Clements just gives us another need come draft hour, and we have plenty. Without him, we not only have a need to fill in free agency or the draft, it is a priority need, meaning we have to spend either top dollar, or a first day draft pick. I'd sooner franchise him, rest assured that we have capable, if under-achieving, corners with big-play potential, and fix our focus on filling the trenches (nothing would make me happier than drafting 3-4 hogs with our 4-5 first day picks). If we receive a 3rd round compensatory pick for Pat Williams, which we should, we will have FIVE first day picks, I don't want to spend any of them on anyone under 290 pounds, and I don't know many 290 pounders who can cover-- we have Clements, he can cover (at times), let's let him continue to improve here in Buffalo, and focus our offseason attention on the lines.

Fonuti was either shipped or dumped by the Chargers, and landed with the Vikes earlier this season in a rather under-represented move. He played sparingly but was fighting lingering injuries and a major weight problem. I'd keep that can and her worms in Minnesota.

I'll ride the prevailing wind and concur. We haven't been a force on the edge since...well, the last time we were a force. It'd be nice to see some athleticism return to that position. I'll agree that our draft should be overwhelmed with big-nasties, but the draft is deep enough on both sides that we could either grab an elite DE and build the interior with our remaining three first day choices (more if the Pat Williams compensation pays what it should), or if Williams is gone, slide back in the order and pick some hogs outside the lottery. On offense, premiere interior lineman fall outside the top ten, and fringe DT's, the likes of Luis Castillo, seem to be about as reliable as the more-bandied glamour picks found in the top ten.

Probably, but I've jumped with you. My favorite mock is at NFL Draft Countdown. It was last updated on Dec. 14, but will update, I imagine, regularly once the season ends and slots are secured.