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Why am I not surprised... -the opinion of 50 State Boards of Election - biased -the opinion of the National Association of Secretaries of State - biased -Any study produced or cited by the Brennan Center - biased -the multiyear hunt by one Secretary of State in a state of 1.6 million registered voters that uncovered 1 noncitizen voter in 7 years. - irrelevant -a post audit of 4.7 million voters that uncovered 41 noncitizens votin- irrelevant On the other hand... -an internet poll where less than 1000 identified themselves as noncitizens, and extrapolating their unverified answers on a nationwide basis- VALID (Despite one of the authors of the study coming out and stating not to use the extrapolation in the study.) -a claim by a "citizens group" that 10000 people were noncitizens voting...and a DMV/SAVE search that 1400 registered to vote -VALID that 14% of noncitizens register to vote. Despite a caveat by the Board of Elections that in cases of a person flagged as possibly being a noncitizen in the SAVE database turn out to be citizens 97.6% of the time. (See p. 10 of the post audit/Appendix P.2 I cited earlier) That part doesn't matter...we'll go with the 14% figure. There is hearing what you want to hear and tuning out what you don't want to hear.... ...and then there's this. I can only say...wow.

Well, the North Carolina Baord of Elections found nothing of the sort... Their Post Audit found that out of more than 4.7 million votes cast, 41 were from non-citizens. All were under green card status and as the audit says, there seems to be more of a confusion in the few who voted. Many of them believed they were eligible to vote. 41 out of 4.7 million votes casts does not equal 14%. They did have more than 400 felons voting. In NC, you can't vote if you've been convicted of a felony unless you've completed your sentence AND probation/parole. Again, according to the audit, some weren't aware that they were ineligible, others produced evidence that they were off probation. 16 have been referred to prosecutors, the other 440+ are open, because people never sent back requests for information. It also found 2 cases of someone voting for a deceased family member. one said she had a power of attorney to vote for her deceased mother. https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/sboe/Post-Election%20Audit%20Report_2016%20General%20Election/Post-Election_Audit_Report.pdf

I suppose the collection of research at hte Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law isn't enough. https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/resources-voter-fraud-claims But the investigation(s) by the vice-chair of this committee should be more than enough. In 2015, the Kansas Legislature granted Kris Kobach a unique power...the independent power to prosecute for voter fraud. This was enacted after he complained to the Legislature that 1) voter fraud was wide spread in the state and 2) Prosecutors were refusing to bring such cases (a claim the US Attorney in Wichita took exception to and demanded evidence that Kobach sent ANY such cases to his office). After 2 years...; in a state with more than 1.6 million registered voters; with investigations going back to at least 2010; over 7 annual elections; where Kobach has had total control over who to prosecute; he's up to 9 convictions, I think. maybe 8, maybe 10.. of those convictions, 1 was a noncitizen, who was in the process of gaining citizenship. The others were people with dual residency in Kansas and another state. They voted in both states. Most, if not all explained they thought they could...i don't know if any were shown to have voted for a common candidate, (e.g. the President) when they voted in 2 states. Those convicted paid a $1000 fine in most cases. I'll repeat those numbers.. 1.6 million voters 7 years 9 people caught the sample size is there the length of the "study" is there.. the claims of bias are eliminated There are probably more instances of 80 year old prostitutes than there is cases of voter fraud. The vice chair has no credibility on this issue..none.

I'd like to hope so...and yes, if Dennison is smart, he'll be pulling pages and pages from the Roman playbook along with the annotations from Anthony Lynn. Its innovative, it uses the talent on the field, and it worked. But.... I've also heard the same from other coaches...taking over something that had worked...and pledging not to destroy it. Rex's press conference after he fired Schwartz: "One thing you'll find out about me is that it's not ego-driven. We're not going to definitely play a 3-4 or a 4-3, for that matter. We're going to have in our arsenal the ability to do anything. As an opponent, you've got to prepare for everything because, if not, I'm going to find out what you're not prepared for and I'll attack you appropriately. That's how we play defense. We play defense based on our personnel, not just the scheme. I don't try to put a square peg in a round hole." That statement alone should quell any fear that the Bills' defense will take a step back by losing Schwartz. Ryan knows defense as well as anybody in the NFL. http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2015/01/rex_ryan_explains_firing_jim_schwartz_says_buffalo_bills_defense_will_rank_no_1.html Coaches have egos. They want to do things their way. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Generals can do anything. There's nothing so much like a god on earth as a General on a battlefield. I'm sure many think of themselves as generals when they put together their gameplan. Its why most haven't learned more than one "scheme" in their careers, but expecdt players to learn a new one every year. I won't speak for Dennison, I don't know enough aobut him..but he'd be a fool not to take things from that playbook. Whether he will...another story. Ive come to realize that nfl coordinators can be the biggest divas in all of sports.

Mom - Wilma Flintstone Dad- Ken Titus running away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsY-L08q6q0

Being an Air Raid QB probably hurt him more than it helped him in the evaluation process. I think he had to overcome that stigma before he was taken seriously. I'll be honest, I wanted him at 10, knowing fully well he could fail. And I have the feeling that next year, despite all of this "Class of '18" talk...we end up using our 2 firsts on a S and a LB, under the tried and failed "draft to fit the scheme" routine that hasn't worked in 17 years.

Agreed with all of that, esp. the Alex Smith part. He got more mileage out of Smith than many thought possible. But as to the Mahommes drafting decision, it wasn't just Andy Reid who wanted him. Actually, it was Chiefs' GM John Dorsey who fell in love with him first. Dorsey was the Packers Dir. of College Scouting when they picked Aaron Rodgers. He's kind of the favorite to succeed Ted Thompson (sp.) if he retires. If you listened to their draft press conferences, Dorsey was especially gushing. And arm strength was pretty far down on the list of his qualities. Reid just said something like, "yeah, he can sling it, but a lot of guys can sling it". They were raving more about his intelligence, esp. football intelligence, his energy, his accuracy and his ability to make something out of nothing. (THAT to me, is what he does best.) As to your statement related to "who do you trust?", it made me smile. The people known to have wanted him...Reid, Dorsey, Sean Payton, have all selected, or worked with HOF QB's, or future HOF QB;s. Reid was Favre's QB coach for a few years, Dorsey helped pick Rodgers, Payton had his career inseparably linked to Drew Brees. So yes, there is something to that line of thinking.

The longer statement is only true if you believe NFL scouting departments get their information from internet draft articles and scouting evaluations from Todd McShay or Mel Kiper.

I think the question is not whether he will stay, but whether he should stay. But maybe I'm wrong. I'll give him this though...the guy has survival skills. Evn the Teflon Don's slippery coating eroded faster than Russ' has.

And yet..in the Pegula's first major "football side" personnel decision...there he was...sitting in on interviews and locking the doors to OBD to keep Rex in.

For nearly the past decade, or more than half of this playoff drought, he has been in a position at least as high as GM. In that time, the team is now on its 4th GM and 5th coach (not including interim coaches). He was intimately involved in the selection of at least 2 of the GM's and at least 2 of the coaching hires. He has involved himself in player decisions, such as the much criticized Watkins draft/trade. ("We wanted to make a splash"). 4 years ago, he insisted taht he would "leave no stone unturned" in making this team a quality football program, implying that he was going to be an active CEO. That's what's public knowledge and doesn't include any behind the scenes moves he has made, using either direct or indirect powers. That track record alone is enough to dismiss a person in that high of a position, provided that putting a quality product together is a priority. Now...time to reverse the question. In his position as GM or CEO, and therefore in a supervisory position of each scout, coach and GM, what has he done to bring this team closer to the playoffs? THAT'S the real question for someone in a position such as President or CEO (in a non-owner capacity). Which stones has he unturned?

He could have rewritten the first paragraph from talking about his "shared vision" with Belichick to just say, "I didn't have Belichick telling me who to acquire". maybe that's not completely fair. Tbh, it would be tough to share a vision with BB...it changes so mcuh and so quickly..by the time you've caught up with his vision, he's moved on to the next one.

A Carucci article from a few days ago. http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/01/vic-caruccis-bills-wake-call-new-gm-wont-change-structure/ If there is any truth to that article..it is actually pretty scary the way he was selected. Especially considering how bad they were burned by their love at first sight routine with Rex.

If he ends up being the last person drafted, does his new gangsta hip hop name become Mr. Irrelevant?

Jordan Evans of Oklahoma is possible as a coverage LB. Opposing passers had an NFL rating in 60's when passing his way. Runs a 4.5 40, Had 4 or 5 ints last year. Not as good against the run...which is why he's still available.

outside of one year of Karlos Williams..we haven't gotten anything out of a 5th round pick since Kyle Williams. OK...its settled..we need to draft a Williams in the 5th...we're becoming thin on people named Williams

Bringing up James Hardy and the 2008 draft brings up a hypothetical relevant to the current thread. In 2008, it was no secret that the Bills were looking for a wr. Not only WR, but a "big" WR. So were many other teams. It was the Year of the Big Receiver in the 2nd round. Tom Modrak liked Jordy Nelson. Im sure he had some love for Hardy, but its come out that he thought Nelson was better. (So did I btw, but I also thought Hardy would make it). Jordy was taken about 5 picks before the Bills. So they selected Hardy as the consolation prize. What if they traded up in the 2nd to jump in front of GB? If they gave up..say their 3rd round pick to jump in front and take Jordy? Under the OP's logic...it would have wasted picks to get him. The other way of looking it at is.....we traded James Hardy and Chris Ellis for Jordy Nelson... Of all the "Big WR" in that draft...Jordy was the only one who made it...and he made it pretty big. It isn't always about taking "a" WR, or "a" OT. (an OT?) Sometimes you have to trust your own evaluations, look at who is left...and a number of other factors. As far as Zay Jones goes...he checks off an awful lot of boxes in the evaluation card.

Huh? Our plan of using our top pick on a DB every other year has given us an annual playoff berth. Oh wait..nm. Of course, we could go with the safe pick...the pass rushing DE who's a day one starter... The last 2 No. 1's used on that position have produced a combined 2 sacks and 21 tackles in 3 seasons. These so called "safe" and "fill-a-need" picks haven't gotten us very far. If there is a QB they think has a good chance of being a franchise QB, even if he sits for a year or 2..I have no problem with taking him at 10.

Oh, without a doubt we will. ...and creeping closer to that 20th anniversary of our last playoff appearance.

I'd really be happy with mediocre at the position. i really would. It wouldn't drag down the passing game like he does. But at least right now, we're going on year 3 with one of the worst pass blocking tackles in the league as a starter. BTW, the Titans did something last year that would give the "Let's use another top pick on a DB" crowd a stroke. After wiffing on Chance Warmack at no. 10 in 2013; After wiffing on Levitre as a high priced free agent; After using the 11th pick on Lewan in 2014; They used a first round pick on a right tackle; And not just a first round pick...a top 10 pick (no. 8); And on top of that...they traded up to get to Number 8. The result... Jack Conklin becomes a 1st team all pro. Demarco Murray's career is resurrected. sacks dropped from 54 (most in the league) to 28 (4 were on Cassel in the last game) they went from 30th in yards to 11th from 25th in rushing to 3rd from 28th to 14th in scoring 80+ more points) from 3 wins to 9. We got a bum shoulder and 2 coverage sacks. PS...Dockery was a huge disappointment, but I never had a problem with Walker at RT. The guy gave up 2 sacks in each of his 2 years here, and in 2008, they ranked 2nd in the league in running behind him. The problem wasn't signing him, it was moving him to LT after ticking off Peters.

Yeah, I imagine some would having the highest paid RT in the league, even if he's already under contract, and even if there is a good chance that pass pro improves from its bottom 5 position. But those are the people who'd rather see a hole in the line, so they can say something like "You don't overpay/draft high for a right tackle!!" NO, it hasn't been ignored, its better than Buddy's dumpster scrounging. It has gone from rebuilding with UDFA under Buddy to just finishing the job. Upgrading that one position would go a lonnggggg way.

I agreed with everything you said until you got to Mills. I''ll go further to say that the run blocking, coupled with the play calling in the run game, bordered on fantastic. But Mills isn't a small leak in the line, he's a huge hole. And he's in a position on the line where someone needs to cover for him..and Miller has enough of his own problems to cover for someone else. There were two analyses I've seen that pretty accurately sum it up... The Bills have a strong running game with reasonable blocking numbers (19th in adjusted line yards), but the pass blocking is abysmal, ranking dead last in adjusted sack rate and 31st in pressure rate. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nfls-best-worst-lines-cowboys-seahawks-rank/story?id=44212949 There is no way I'd rank them 31st, like that list did.because the run blocking is too good. Buffalo could find an answer to their right tackle issue, this line would vault up the rankings in an instant. Jordan Mills surrendered eight sacks and 57 total QB pressures over 596 pass-blocking snaps this season, fourth-most of any tackle in the game. The play of RG John Miller inside of Mills didn’t help much when it comes to pass blocking, either, giving the Bills a real issue on the right side of the line. Miller allowed four sacks and 33 total QB pressures, but did at least offset that with some strong run blocking. https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-ranking-all-32-nfl-offensive-lines-this-season/ Keep in mind that this is a team was last in the NFL in pass attempts. I shudder to think what it would be like if they passed more. And as much as people like to B word about TT leaving the pocket soon or holding onto the ball too much...there's no doubt in my mind that they give up a dozen more sacks with a less mobile QB. The fix is easier than in past years, because its only 1-2 positions instead of 3 or more. But RT is such a glaring hole...it is inexcusable not to upgrade it. It is especially true of they plan to pass more often. The draft might not bring an upgrade this year, but they better be looking at alternatives...esp. early cuts I would definitely consider the idea of moving Glenn to RT and Kujo to LT and as of right now..it may be the best option.

With all the responses from people who were there, I can put my foggy memory concerns aside, at least as far as the concert goes. It happened. Even Kenny Jones remembers it. K.JONES- We will be heading over in late October for some promotional gigs then we will be going full tilt after Christmas. As for playing Buffalo I sure would love to play there again. One of my greatest memories of my touring days with the WHO was in Buffalo in the early eighties.K.JONES- We will be heading over in late October for some promotional gigs then we will be going full tilt after Christmas. As for playing Buffalo I sure would love to play there again. One of my greatest memories of my touring days with the WHO was in Buffalo in the early eighties. We were doing the song “Love Reign O’er Me” just as Roger Daltry was singing that verse the skies over Rich Stadium opened up and the rain began to fall, you just can’t buy a moment like that. We were doing the song “Love Reign O’er Me” just as Roger Daltry was singing that verse the skies over Rich Stadium opened up and the rain began to fall, you just can’t buy a moment like that. http://www.bestofwny.com/nightlife/rosscat/september.html I remember being a little disappointed in the Clash. I was really looking forward to seeing them. But they sounded rushed and looked kinda stiff. I remember hearing they were really nervous before the show.

Yeah, that was the year everyone wanted the big WR. Actually, the guy I was enamored with was Jordy Nelson (who's agility numbers are about on par with Williams' ). Living in Big 12 country, I got to see him a lot. The guy produced against everyone and he was the only real weapon on his K-State team. He'd put up 100 yards or more against teams like Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, all of whom had DB's that ended up in the NFL. He burned Talib for over 130 yards in their match up. Sweed..not so much. He was a guy that would have 2 catches vs. Oklahoma, 1 vs. Kansas State, etc. and got most of his grabs against teams like Rice. Williams' vertical, broad jump and shuttle times are more of a concern than they are a deal breaker. I do like that he produced against both Ohio State and Alabama, both of whom had NFL quality db's. But then...the year Sweed and Nelson came out, I also liked James Hardy..so...

Ah yes, the "its the offense's fault" excuse in the pro-Rex Ryan litany of excuses. Well..you know what helps a defense get off the field? The defense. In 2015, the Iggles gave up 99 3rd down conversions. That was one of the worst in the league. This year, they are down to a more respectable 77. A 22% decrease. As far as your ProFootballFocus analyisis, does that include the Bills' castoffs that GymSchwartz is using? The ones used as Rex's excuses in 2015? Gain/Loss, better/worse...gains are written in black crayon, losses are written in red crayon. Schwartz stats are written in black. Rex's..after 2 years, are still written in red.