RuntheDamnBall

Don't think anyone's saying that. We're just saying it's really enjoyable.

It's REALLY friggin' good. Best posthumous release they've done. I love the Band of Gypsys and this is like Christmas morning getting to hear some Buddy Miles & Jimi in-studio. I love how dialled in Jimi is compared to the really loose live shows - which I also really enjoy.

Define "serious." You've sold me on how terrible this idea is.

I don't, either. I think Smith has the potential to be a top-12 QB in the league, and maybe Barkley does, so I guess I'm a bit more of a believer in those two and think it's worth it to go for them at #8 - because I do not believe they will be there later. Both will be gone by 15, in my opinion. The Bills have put themselves in this position. I don't want to see any trades up either, though. Pick the guy at #8, see if you can move down a few - not many - picks, or forever hold your peace.

You'd probably need to modify it a bit so it could draw up plays, but an engineer at around $200K salary sure beats R1-2 QB money. I think you're on to something.

As bad as ESPN is, would any of you under 60 actually like to watch Regis Philbin talk about sports? Unless he is going to be there to regale us with tales of Mays and Musial and what it was like when they wore leather helmets, I'll pass.

I take it this is your veiled endorsement of Mike Glennon?

Trent Edwards agrees that this is important. Joking aside, I am warming up to Barkley, but he will be a risk like any of the QBs in this draft.

Not really. He is very much on the same page with a very good QB who can get him the ball at the exact right time and place. Call that a system, but systems need people who can actually perform the tasks demanded of them. He has skills. So does Brady. Will his work without Brady's? Tough to say.

Wondered if y'all had seen that Jenn now holds the world record? Pretty sweet.

Good news for Bills fans if he leaves NE. That dude has carved up the Bills D for years and is always in the right place. At some point his powers of shiftiness will dwindle, but I'd rather not wait for that to happen.

I like Alex Smith and I am glad to hear that the Bills were in on him AND made it more difficult for the Chiefs to get him. I know SF looks like they are building a powerhouse but I am not all too concerned about them right now, because the Bills need to stop being the punching bag of their division before they can even think about SF's window of contention. So, the idea that the Chiefs had to lose high picks - that's good, because the Bills compete with them for wild-card spots. Only when we get to talking about the Niners moving those picks to another AFC team, particularly the Jets, do I get more concerned about this situation.

I am mostly with you, though I hesitate to call Barkley or Smith mediocre. If they work out to be average NFL QBs they would be outstanding picks. My only worry is that at #41 Manuel will not be there, and I am REALLY not sold on Bray.

Hey guys, letting you in on some inside info that there'll be a longform interview with Andrew Luck coming up on Here's the Thing with Alec Baldwin. MODS: I don't usually share this kind of stuff and I know it's slightly Off-topic so move it where you will. It ought to be more interesting and insightful than your usual ESPN-style interview, though. Please don't PPP this thread or I will close it, FYI. Just sharing something fun.

Gosh, if they can get him and use the picks to address other needs - monster trade for a WR? - what a coup. If I were SF I might go nuts and just offer a bucketload of picks to Detroit, Cincy or AZ and see if anyone bites to deal their all-world WR.

I am not sure that the arm is the full package. If it were he might be a consensus #1 pick. Couple that with the shoulder issues and you have the reasons for uncertainty.

Guess we'll just see what happens. I think you can still call it using the Bills for leverage even if the end result is a deal less than what they offered. The deal taken is certainly not the first offer made. I would be extremely surprised if what Clabo got was Atlanta's first and last offer, and if it was not sweetened based on the presence of offers from other teams. Though that, in a way, proves my point. If they'll take less money NOT to come to Buffalo, there's a problem that they will have to contend with until they have built a winning program.

Well, it could also give the Jets enough picks to package them and jump ahead of #8.

What makes you believe that? It didn't work for Tyson Clabo, and it won't work for most players. The Bills will be used as leverage in most negotiations and the only type of guy they will get here is the one that they overpay, IMO. It just isn't a prime destination yet.

If Matt Barkley is healthy and they can get him at #41, I will go ice skating in the buff in Bryant Park.

Great, but you didn't answer my concern, which is, to let Levitre go means you are BANKING on getting one of these other FA guards. Since they are human beings who might have the same feelings about Buffalo that other people do, how can you guarantee that? And I'll wager that you are not getting any of them to Buffalo without paying a premium. And what happens when none of them bite? What happens if they do come here, at 75% of the salary, and they flop or don't have chemistry with their linemates? A bird in the hand, my friend. You have to be careful.

I don't see Harbaugh yelling at his own players. He is intense on the sideline, but rarely calls them out in public and gets sarcastic with them in the way Parcells did. And the winner of this year's Super Bowl, his brother, is more low-key. Couglin almost got fired in 2006 for being too hard on his players and has relaxed his style some. I think you can be intense and get people to believe in you without being a dick 24-7.

OH NO HE DI-INT.

People don't care. They think we'll be just as good with Rhinehart (at best) or the next Bennie Anderson, Derrick Dockery, Mike Pucillo, Tutan Reyes, etc. And they think we'll somehow have enough depth (which has always been a problem) after moving one of our reserves up in the depth chart. Or, they think that creating a hole and burning a valuable top ten pick on a replacement guard is a good idea. It's all lunacy to me. If Levitre wants anything under $8MM a year and 15-20MM guaranteed, there is no reason not to do this. Re: your #3, that's all well and good, but you are going to have to pay premium to get one of those guys to come here, where there should be a bit of an advantage in getting Levitre to a contract that isn't way "over-slot" because he knows what we have and does have some meaningful connections.

Football hasn't been fun for Bills fans for so long that they can't stand it when it looks like a guy is having fun playing the game. But that's what it's supposed to be about. I appreciate that Stevie finds joy in it. And I am glad he has dialed down some of the selfish aspects of that enthusiasm. Said it earlier in the thread, but: until the talent level around Stevie gets better, it is hard to find fault in his performance. Can he get better? Sure. But you need to cultivate success. Maybe a Parcells approach works for some people, where you can bark your way to a winning record, but I think that does not work with most of today's NFL players. You need a buy-in and a program (and leaders) you can believe in. How's about we get one at QB now?