RuntheDamnBall

UH, THE WHOLE REASON THE BLACK SENATORS AND BLACK BARONS EXISTED WAS BECAUSE BLACKS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE MAJOR LEAGUE SPORT. It had little to do with black pride (other than an assertion that these guys could actually play) and everything to do with giving black men the opportunity to play. Do you think that Josh Gibson would not have given his left nut for a welcome from the Yankees with open arms and a feature role in their lineup (and the money, power and progress that would have come with it)? Please do not bring Negro League baseball, an institution whose very existence was predicated on institutionalized racism, into this. It makes zero sense.

That would be amazing... and fun.

[loud whisper] BUT HE'S..............[/loud whisper]

THANK YOU. I can get a hell of a good look at a T-Bone steak by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butcher's word for it.

I can barely find a cake for under $295K.

I feel like James Patton has to beat out Tim Anderson.

It would not surprise me to see that Pettine has a deep file on all of our defensive players and knows what he is working with. I am equally certain that he has seen that some players are being misused and that others are simply ineffective. No team has a roster of 53 starters but hopefully he can make sure that the depth and the starters are worthy of an NFL defense. Above all I am hoping for creativity. Whether Sheppard is the beneficiary of that or not will be largely up to him.

5. Duuuuuuude.

Of course. And that necessitates more risk, at a lesser cost, and most likely lesser reward. If they cannnot get one of maybe 4 starting caliber qbs to emerge from this draft, they'll either have reached for one or not addressed it, either of which is a bigger setback than spending a little bit too much money.

Generally I agree with you but you are never, ever buying an elite qb low unless there are major concerns a la Brees and his shoulder. A swap of picks and cash for Flacco could work out well for both teams.

Please let King's words be true. Now, here's a question for the people who know the offseason rulebook a bit better: Do you sign the rights to a guy, or does he actually have to agree to the contract with another team, if franchised by his current team? That is, could Flacco say, "this offer sheet/team isn't to my liking" and pass on it even if it exceeds the offer coming from the team that holds his rights? Or does the team that wants him simply offer him the bonanza contract and offer to surrender the picks, and the team with the franchise tag gets the chance to match? I know very little about how this works.

He seems to survive every staff. I imagine he is not a prime candidate to get cut, but I also wouldn't call him safe, either - he can be upgraded upon. It's just a question of at what cost.

Is this some kind of Chuck Norris joke?

I liked Barnett in 2011. For whatever reason, probably a few of them, he just looked flat-out awful this year. It was probably one part aging, one part Wannstedt, one part being out of positiion, and another part poor / rookie supporting cast around him. I would not bank on him being a factor anywhere in the NFL in 2013, but stranger things have happened. I wish him well and wish it had turned out differently for him here. He made some plays in 2011 and was always a decent guy.

I think it's still better than what most teams would get with two first round picks. Super Bowl QBs with big arms and pocket presence do not grow on trees. You can hope to get one in one of the next two drafts or you can get somebody who IS one and has just won the big one. This would be a terrifically costly move but I think it would instantly make the whole team better.

I want the offensive line to get up for the game, stay strong and last all day. #3 is an asset, not a detriment!

But the bills have a first rounder, two seconds, and a third manning the line. They have more first rounders at the skill positions than the Pats! That very example shows you that the draft pick rating doesn't tell you much in and of itself. Hell, if they picked up alex smith they would have a #1 overall pick at the premier skill position!

You're confusing "think Nassib's a terrible pick at #8" with "are convinced he is going to be terrible." I think he raises too many question marks to be a legitimate pick in the top ten of the draft. That's all. The Senior Bowl is not the reason and I felt this way before. The Senior Bowl was also not going to raise his stock, to me, because what he can and can't do is pretty plain to see from the game film. Do I think he has potential? Yes. Would I be a #8 overall pick on that? No.

Personally, I'd entertain it. But it isn't my money. A sure thing QB is worth the two #1s though. Bird in the hand etc etc.

The most baffling scenario involves keeping Fitz and losing Levitre because he costs too much money, when Fitz probably would have gotten killed without Levitre the past three seasons. The wrong priorities are at work with that kind of thinking.

Plus... Braylon Edwards and Ted Ginn are "FIRST ROUND TALENT" when they play for some other team, instead of washed up retreads, kick return specialists or problem children. Randy Moss could have used his invisibility cloak to actually hide from the defense instead of his QB in the Super Bowl. And Stevie Johnson doesn't get mention among our WRs but Ruvell Martin does. No agenda here!

That's all well and good but he is probably looking for $6MM from the Chargers and more from another team. Recalling the Tyson Clabo situation, he could have his heart set on staying in SD and just want to use other teams to up SD's best offer. You really never know what either the players or the other teams are thinking. I think all things being equal, we have a better shot at Levitre for a little more money. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $35-40 million over 5 years is going to get him done, and maybe the Bills are in a position to offer more guaranteed money which could keep the overall value down. I am not sure that I care about getting a Bowe over a Meachem type and would like to look to the draft and the next tier of free agents instead of paying another WR $5MM plus per year. There aren't a lot of situations where a FA #1 WR comes in and makes an impact commensurate with his payday. I think you've gotta look for the lower hanging fruit and find guys who are hungrier since WRs are so often problem children to begin with.

That is a while, innit.

There were some hilarious fan favorites that we all got irrational about. Deserves another thread. I nominate Liam Ezekiel.

All good ones. I mentioned Prioleau a ways back. Bryson was not great but formed an OK tandem with Henry. Barnett was invisible.