RuntheDamnBall

That just seems super foolish to me. They obviously think Manuel has much bigger upside, has all the tools and attributes, and is by coachable. He can help define this new team identity. So why draft a guy you believe to be inferior, whom you have four years of direct evidence on, when the guy you like best is right there and you think you can win with him? Btw what was New England's identity pre-Brady? Remind me.

This is what is known in scouting circles as a makeup concern.

That's very nice, but meaningless. Sincerely, Matt Barkley

And even then it didn't work half the time. And scheming for him left someone else unblocked. He was a force.

Hey y'all, remember this? http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/04/07/fred-jackson-skipping-voluntary-workouts/ But we love Freddie and he eventually came to work and he eventually (a good bit later) got rewarded. So, if the team wants to do it and act in good faith, Byrd will be here. If they don't, he won't. Either way, I think the blame lies with the team. They are the ones who have let it get to this point and they are the ones who reserve the right to either sign or deal the guy. Byrd is doing what any of us would do in this situation: using his leverage to secure his future as best is possible. Now, certainly he stands to earn more than most of us will see over a long period of time, perhaps our lives. But he is just doing business in his sport. End of story, really. Until I see him say that he won't play for Buffalo, the speculation is useless, if inevitable.

The laws of probability suggest that this is impossible. Only Holcomb possesses true 3.5 speed.

Purple Rain the film is bad, but dude is a genius. Whether you like his sound or not is a matter of taste, but he can shred, lead a band, entertain and produce like nobody's business. Purple Rain at halftime, in the rain, is still the best halftime show the Super Bowl has ever had. Also, Skip Bayless has a diaper-wearing fetish and E.J. Manuel is the best. Just to bring this full circle.

I think they were nuts, but there were Russ Lande and Cosell out there blowing the Nassib horn. Now, guys have gotten picked late and made teams look silly for not choosing them earlier, but Nassib ain't getting that chance for awhile unless Eli gets hurt, and he most likely won't be getting that chance with the team that has drafted him.

Skip Bayless is one of the lousiest and most credibility-challenged dumb-!@#$s in sports media, and that's a long list of idiots that he's at the top of. His act of single-handedly having turned ESPN into the Tebow Information Channel has made the whole damn channel unwatchable. I award him no points, and may God have mercy on his soul.

And, if he isn't, doesn't that basically confirm what everyone says the problem would be -- that they'd be on equal footing in competing for the job, which serves neither QB's development well?

And we'll see how that works for them, no?

I don't think this is at all like that with Brady (really, who was going to challenge him?) but point taken. Manuel doesn't strike me as a fragile guy but I think anyone would kind of wonder what's going on given TJax and Kolb were probably made some promises as well. Putting a fourth guy in the mix who really expects to make the team is not really too fair to anybody. I understand it's a ruthless business, but that kind of conduct comes back around and makes guys think twice about signing with you later on. Maybe if you're NE there's an exception, but generally, Buffalo is not NE and has to make a harder sell for FAs.

That's super-interesting and provides some context for both his successes and his struggles. Obviously the kid has athletic ability that permits him to take over, especially in the college game. But I think as we've seen (and not seen, with Wannstedt), successful NFL defenses create a lot of confusion for most signal-callers. You have to be highly adaptable and possess some smarts - maybe not book smarts - to play QB for a long time in the NFL. You also need people who are willing to teach you. I think the fact is that Tebow's highly polarizing reputation probably hits him hard with everybody. This includes coaches who are less inclined to spend their very valuable time trying to teach a guy known and perhaps defined as a freelancer.

When did this happen? (I'm honestly pleading ignorance here, completely missed this news. For me that makes CB look A LOT weaker). Doesn't logic suggest that if you want to get better, you keep your best players and add to them? At least that's what I've always thought. It's not like the 1986 Bills decided, "hey, we sucked with (insert HOFer here), does this team really need him?" Because May is the same as August, and using your available leverage is the same as hating your current team and not wanting to play for them?

Wait, they're not the same dude?

Guys either get better at not getting caught, or they get reformed. Drugs and alcohol are a part of life and I realize that the NFL has to set an example, but they should be treating it much more like a health issue than a policing one. Obviously when it comes to drunk driving offenses or greater misdeeds in connection with substances, the penalties have to stiffen. But there are a lot of players with bad drinking problems who are never going to show up on a blotter or on a suspension list. Something to think about.

Bunting is for fools. Let's see, 50/50 chance of a run and 90% chance of an out. It's an apt analogy for what the Bills have been doing through Jauron and Chan.

It was confusing to me, too, at first. I just copied-and-pasted the OP's graf at the end for readability. I think it's originally copy-pasted from BB.com, where the depth chart also reads like this. But that also speaks to my point that in the final depth chart you'll see the same name manning a few reserve positions - not one per, as it is here.

I have this feeling that TT is going to end up a MMA champion who grabs the mic and shares Jesus with the fans at the end of every bout. The odds are at least better than those of his success as an NFL QB.

No. It's a depth-chart lineup from sideline to sideline. Same with the defensive backs...

Just for the eye's sake: WR R. Woods* T. Graham M. Goodwin* K. Elliott D. Rogers Kaufman TE S. Chandler L. Smith D. Dickerson C. Gragg* M. Caussin J. Sawyer LT C. Glenn T. Welch Z. Sanders LG C. Brown S. Young C. Scott Chibane C E. Wood D. Snow Turnley RG K. Urbik K. Williams H. Eckerson RT C. Hairston E. Pears A. Grant WR S. Johnson B. Smith M. Easley C. Hogan Norrell QB K. Kolb T. Jackson E. Manuel* A. Corp Tuel RB C. Spiller F. Jackson T. Choice Z. Brown D. Smith FB F. Summers Gaskins DE A. Branch C. Bryant Cross NT M. Dareus T. Troup J. Ross DT K. Williams A. Carrington J. Gilbert Tipoti JLB M. Williams M. Anderson J. Blatnick SLB M. Lawson A. Moats K. Brown Pough MLB K. Alonso* K. Sheppard C. White G. Lloyd WLB N. Bradham B. Scott M. Dowtin B. Smith RCB S. Gilmore R. Brooks J. Rogers D. Ellis Robey Edwards SS A. Williams D. Searcy J. Meeks* FS J. Byrd D. Williams* M. Silva Dangerfield LCB L. McKelvin C. Butler T. Heath Rolle Kearney K R. Lindell D. Hopkins* C. Koepplin P S. Powell B. Stahovich LS G. Sanborn It's a bit tough to look at and evaluate because some guys - especially at OL and CB, and to a lesser extent WR - would be expected to fill a couple of depth roles. Cornerback still looks like a need to me. Precious little depth and lots of hope that Brooks can be that 3rd CB who is on the field a lot in this defense. The safeties look stacked if these draft prospects turn out to be anything and Byrd returns. Less so if not. TEs are OK but not really good. LBs - are going to be so hard to evaluate until we see how Pettine uses them. I feel like they can't possibly be as bad as they looked in Wannstedt's defense, but could they really be a whole lot better?

For a "character" player he is pretty prideful. He's either going to have to accept that no one in the NFL views him as a QB, or that he'll need to go prove himself in the CFL to demonstrate that he can play the position. The problem is that the years are not going to be kind to his brand of play as he ages, and then all you're left with is a really goofy throwing motion and faith.

I think he was referring to the gamble of hoping he'd be available as a UDFA instead of pulling the trigger on him with a 7th rounder.

Well, and the Bills won it. So, pretty cool? There are a host of reasons -- teams inclined to gamble on him might have viewed themselves as pretty set at receiver, different priorities on character, concerns he will end up a habitually suspended player, concerns he isn't coachable... He has much to prove, but I'm glad that both the player and Marrone get to face that kind of test right away.